Casting Stones
by roku kyu
Summary: The unruly cast of Fushigi Yuugi attempts to stage the play White Stones in the Moonlight before an equally unruly audience. Ch. 15. An unexpected confrontation brings Tasuki and Miaka's relationship under fire.
1. The stage is set

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**CASTING STONES...****the non-script version**    by roku kyu

Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. The characters from Inu-Yasha are the creations and property of Rumiko Takahashi and related enterprises. I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

On the other hand, the original characters Mom and Dad are my original creations (actually, I'm their original creation) and they belong to me, as do other assorted family members. Also belonging to me are the plotline, original plot devices and dialogue. As to the reviewers and fanfic authors in this fic - they belong to themselves! But I get to "borrow" them for the duration of this fic - hee, hee, hee.

This story is rated R due to Tasuki's (and Inu-Yasha's) "more than one use of the harsher sexually derived words." This is an Alternate Universe fic taking place in an unnamed yet easily recognizable major midwestern US city.

   
(8-1-04) Now, a sad announcement. For those of you who have been fond of Casting Stones in the past, you may find that there is a change in format--and not for the better. Due to 's recent ban on all script fics, the previously "apt" play form of this fic has been changed to text narrative, although present tense will be retained...at least, until that format is outlawed as well.

Please check my personal profile page for a link to the Original True Version of Casting Stones. Okay, let's get _on_ with it, already!

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Chapter 1.    The stage is set...**  
  
We observe the setting of this story in a major city situated on the shores of a large body of water. Impressive skyscrapers tower over smaller historic edifices in the downtown area, as we focus in on an old historic building decorated with a gaudy two-story neon sign in the artsy theatre district of this major metropolis. The theatre marquis reads in lights: WHITE STONES IN THE MOONLIGHT, FEATURING THE ALL-STAR CAST OF FUSHIGI YUUGI. The camera's eye enters this restored edifice through the main entrance - then stops in shock at the myriad colorful and fantastical decorations gilding the lobby of the restored theatre. Multicolored glazed buddhas and large mosaics of an Indian prince and princess loom over the milling crowd. The camera ventures hesitantly into the main auditorium, where gilded decorations of grotesque animal figures, drummers, water-bearing maidens and a large seated buddha assault the eye. Tackiness vies with drug-induced hallucination to produce such classic works of art as elephants whose lower bodies segue into mermaid tails. This anarchy of bad art is loaned distinction by its great age, and historic restoration has kindly returned this edifice of questionable taste to the enjoyment of the masses.

   
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**  
  
Part A.    The Reviewers**   
  
At the entrance to the main auditorium stands a short, stocky female figure, collecting tickets from the people filtering in. This is the director of the celebrated play that is opening tonight. So why is the director collecting tickets? Simple - because there's no one else available. Her sister, Chichiri's Girl, is already checking out the lighting and sound system, while young Kaze-chan wrestles with the props and scenery before moving up to the tech booth, where she will run the lightboard. The camera focuses in on Roku from a distance, getting an impressive zoom shot on her rather snub nose.   
  
Roku's nose twitches. "I get this feeling that I'm being watched somehow..."  
  
She spots some friends who have just arrived and waves enthusiastically.  "Ryuen! Mouse-chan! Great to see ya! (slaps palms with them) I saved some really good seats for you up front; within spitting distance of Nuriko and Hotohori!"

Ryuen, short, thin, and Nuriko-like, frowns at her friend. "Ummm, Roku-chan, why are you the one collecting tickets and seating people? Aren't you supposed to be busy with the cast right now?"

Roku shakes her head. "Ahhh, the further I stay away from those lunatics, the happier we all are. After spending six weeks in rehearsal, I think that  we're standin' on each others' nerves. And I don't know if it's opening night jitters, but tonight they all seem to have some ax to grind with me about the play. I dunno. Ingrates. Especially when you consider that I'm going to make them all famous, _FAMOUS!_"

Purple Mouse, a vertically-challenged girl with dark wavy hair, chimes in. "Ehehehehehe... um, Roku, they're already famous..."

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna make 'em FAMOUSER!"

Ryuen and Purple Mouse wince at the lovely rendition of the English language that is Roku's normal way of speaking--_extremely_ South Side!  
  
Ryuen leans over and whispers to Mouse-chan. "Listening to her talk, you'd never guess that she could _write_ proper English, would you?"

At this moment, Roku catches sight of her friends' burdens. Her eyes sparkle in anticipation. "Heyyy, you guys are sooooooo nice! Coming all the way out here to support me...and bringing flowers, too!"

Purple Mouse realizes that it's too late to hide a large bouquet of purple roses behind her back. "Ehehehehehe. Ummmmmm, actually, these are for Nuri-chan..."

"Oh! But look at all the things that Ryuen has in that gift basket! Just what I always wanted! Body lotion, cologne, combs, lots and lots of... hand mirrors?"

Now it's Ryuen's turn to be embarrassed. "Heh, heh... ummmmmm, actually, this is for Hotohori-sama."

Roku looks downcast. "Didn't you guys bring anything for _me_?"  
  
Ryuen and Purple Mouse search their pockets frantically.  
  
Purple Mouse hesitantly holds up a little foil-wrapped object. "Ummm, how about half a stick of gum?"

Roku snatches it. "Done!"  She pops it in her mouth while waving them to their seats.

   
Suddenly, Roku notices some rather youthful looking people coming in. "Hey, you don't look seventeen. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to request some I.D. This play isn't for kids, you know!"

Chaotic Serenity, a teenage fanfic author, produces an impressive stack of papers. "Yes, in actual post-partum years, I'm somewhat less than seventeen years old. But this set of test scores shows that when you combine my I.Q. with my chronological age, I'm at the intellectual maturity level of the average college English professor." .

Roku's eyes swirl as she tries to make sense out of the vast array of numbers on the papers. "All right, all right, you can go in." Spotting something odd, she suddenly puts out hand and stops Chao-chan. "Hey, what've you got there next to your hip?!"

Chaotic Serenity quickly places her arm over the long whip at her side. "Ummmm, it's a prosthetic device that helps me walk ever since I became afflicted with hip problems."

Roku flushes with embarrassment. "Ummm, sorry! Didn't mean to discriminate against the physically challenged! Er, can I help you to your seat?"

"Oh, no, I'm quite able to get there on my own. Thank you anyway..." The young woman turns away to hide a smirk. "Just you wait, Roku-san. My Tama-chan will be avenged!"

Meanwhile, the Director taps her chin, puzzled. "There's something about the way she talks that seems strangely familiar..." She shudders briefly, then shrugs. "Ah, well--no time to worry about that now.

She turns her attention to the next youthful-looking girl. "Soooooo, how old are YOU?!"

Bashou-chan, another teenage fanfic author, gives her a puppy-eyed look. "Well, in U.S. years, I'm fifteen, but in Canadian dollars, that translates to approximately twenty-two."

Roku scratches her head. "Let's see now, I've always been bad at the U.S.-to-Canadian conversions... do you multiply by 1.5, or divide, or is it 1.8...? Ohhh, go on in! I'll figure it out later..."

Roku shudders again. "I _still_ get the feeling that I'm being watched..." She catches sight of two short figures that are attempting to sneak around her. "Hey, you two! Hold it right there! I can tell that _you're_ underage for sure!

The secret videocamera shot of Roku veers crazily skyward, then to the floor, and finally shuts down, as Miaka and Chiriko freeze in place.

"Oops! Didn't realize that it was you guys." Roku narrows her eyes. "What are you doing up here? You're supposed to be getting ready for the play!"

Miaka  points at her companion. "Chiriko wanted to practice with the videocamera your sister loaned him. She wants him to get some behind-the-scenes footage of the play."

Roku looks confused. "Chichiri's Girl loaned you a camera? Where did she get one?"

Chiriko shakes his head, his ponytail bobbing. "No, it's your other sister--the Vampire Princess."

"The Vampire Princess is here? _Early_?! I didn't expect her till halfway through the play, _long_ after dark... Hey, you two had better get downstairs before I get in trouble for letting in underaged kids!"

Miaka tosses her hair defiantly. "You can hardly get on your high ropes about the age restriction when you consider what's going to happen to _me_ in the Enchantment scene!"

The Director stammers, "Um, ah... but you're not_ really_ fifteen anymore."

"But the audience doesn't know that. And I'm supposed to be _playing_ a fifteen-year-old."

"Heh, heh, heh... Get outta here!" Roku kicks them towards the stairs.

   
She looks up to see a long line of youthful faces holding out tickets: Shadow Priestess, Dee-chan, and more...then throws her hands up in defeat. "Oh, I give up! Everyone come in! But if your mothers call, I know _nothing_, you got it?!"

The youngsters murmur among themselves. "That's not hard to believe..."

Finally Roku catches sight of another adult--Aikido-chan. She hurries over to her in relief. "Oh, thank Suzaku, Aikido-chan! You don't know what a relief it is to see another grown-up here! You're the first person I've seen above voting age since Mouse-chan and Ryuen arrived! With this crowd, you'd think that I was staging a Sesame Street play, or something..."She sobs into Aikido-chan's blouse. "You know, I took care to put up an "R" rating, and strong content warnings, and everything!"

Aikido-chan pats her kindly. "Well, you know, Roku, that's just like putting up a big 'Come and get it!' sign for this age group; I _did_ tell you, the more explicit the warning, the more they want to see what they're being warned _against_! After all, what were _you_ reading when you were their age?

Roku gulps guiltily.

Her friend smirks. "You see what I mean. They're no different than you... and you didn't turn out to be a violent pervert, from what I can see."

Roku mutters under her breath. "Just don't ask _Tasuki_ what he thinks of me..."

"Anyway, here come some more people now."

Roku brightens at the sight of some adult faces. She eagerly greets them and takes their tickets. Suddenly, Roku catches sight of a familiar face. "Excuse me, guys." She runs up to a lovely, wispily built half-Asian girl. "Heyyyy, Krysssaaaaa!"

"Heyyy, Rokuuuuuuuuu!"

Kryssa and Roku-chan do the Tasuki-Kouji bandit dance. Everyone who's unfortunate enough to witness this winces. The two girls then join hands and start jumping up and down to their White Stones chant.

"Psychic connection, PSYCHO CONNECTION! Yaaaaaaay!"

People in the lobby avert their eyes discreetly. The girls finally break apart to catch their breath.

Roku smirks at Kryssa. "So how long has it been?"  
   
"Since yesterday!"

They laugh again, Roku patting Kryssa affectionately. "You're a real lifesaver, working the sound board for me. Up until you came on board, poor Kaze-chan was stuck doing lights, sound, and everything else."

"No prob. I love working with the gang! I'm just heading towards the tech booth now."

Roku waves as Kryssa heads towards the upper level to the tech access staircase. The Director wipes her forehead in relief. "Well, the crew is all assembled, so... This night may be easier than I thought!"

Ah, but Roku - you should know that you're tempting Fate when you say that…

   
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**  
  
Part B.    The Anime Characters**  
  
More reviewers filter in, along with some characters from other anime series. Roku suddenly catches sight of a familiar red kimono.

She calls out happily. "Heyyy, Inu-Yasha! And Kagome! Nice of you to show up!"

Inu-Yasha is his usual grouchy self. "Feh! The wench made me come here."

Kagome is patient, as usual. "Neeeeeeeee, Inu-Yasha. Be nice, onegai." She smiles at Roku. "Forgive his bad mouth. He's really very sweet… and he just loved that story you wrote about him and Sesshoumaru when he was little."

Inu-Yasha flushes angrily.  "Gaaaaaahhhhh… Feh!! Like I _ever_ liked that bastard Sesshoumaru!"

A tall, extremely beautiful young man dressed in an ornate white kimono, with flowing white hair and a fluffy tail draped over his shoulder, suddenly appears beside them. Sesshoumaru is as coolly disdainful as ever. "_Kisama!_ You worthless hanyou - you should be grateful that I, Sesshoumaru, even honor you by calling you 'brother.'"

Inu-Yasha snarls. "Bastard!"

They draw swords and begin to fight. The lobby crowd flinches away from them.   
   
Roku exchanges weary glances with Kagome. "I didn't think I'd ever see anyone worse than Tama and Tasuki, but these two have got them beat cold. Especially since they use sharp pointy objects." She ducks a swing by the Tetsusaiga. "Damn, that was close! Kagome, if you please?"

"Hai! Inu-Yasha - OSUWARI!"

The prayer beads around Inu-Yasha's neck begin to glow, and he crashes face-first into the tiled floor. Sesshoumaru sheathes his sword, then deliberately steps on Inu-Yasha as he walks past.

As the "osuwari" spell abates, Inu-Yasha leaps to his feet, furious. "_Teme!_ Why'd you do that, wench?!"

Kagome smiles apologetically. "Eheheheheh. It's time for us to go to our seats, Inu-Yasha."

Roku points them toward the balcony.

Various other characters from other anime series stroll in, but Roku-chan decides not to name them since she's tired of listing disclaimers. She suddenly catches sight of some all-too-familiar faces and curses. "Damn! What are _they_ doing here?!" She stomps up to a painted freak type hanging near a stunningly gorgeous blond man. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?! You'd better not have any cute ideas in mind!"

Tomo is wearing a black half-mask across his eyes. "Kekekekekekeke! Ahem. How did you recognize me?"

Roku rolls her eyes. "Oh, like the freaky face paint and the feathers aren't dead giveaways. You really think that some pathetic eye-mask is gonna hide your identity? Duuhhhh..."

Tomo turns away, muttering to himself. "Damn! It always worked for Zorro and the Lone Ranger."

Nakago fixes the Director with a cool blue glance. "Greetings, Director of White Stones. Forgive me, but I was under the impression that this play was open to the public."

"Yeah, but why the hell would _you_ be interested in seeing a play about the Suzaku Seven? It's not like the Seiryuu crew have any significant roles in this!"

"Hmph. I merely thought that it would be amusing to see at least the first part of the play. It will be most entertaining to watch the minions of Suzaku boink each other."

Roku gags. "Did I just hear what I thought I heard?! Did you actually say the word _'boink'_?!"

Nakago smirks evilly. "Forgive me, but I thought that you wished to keep this story at a PG rating for as long as possible. It would be no trouble to me to use a more... _explicit_ term."

"Just forget it! Shut up and sit down! And speaking of 'boink,' isn't that Soi over there looking for you?"  
  
Nakago and Tomo walk into the auditorium, smirking.  
  
Roku tugs at her hair in frustration. "Tama and Tasuki are gonna kill me for sure now! I'm a dead woman! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead - it can't get any worse than this!"

   
Ahhhh, but it always can. It _always_ can.

   
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**  
  
C.    The Family**   
  
Roku suddenly catches sight of some terribly familiar figures--some terribly_ familial_ figures. They are a rotund cheerful American man and a small, deceptively delicate-looking Japanese woman clutching a rather large purse, both accompanied by a younger woman with midnight black hair cut into a Nuriko-style shag. Roku-chan turns pale and her knees give out - but luckily, Aikido-chan is there to catch her by the elbow.  
  
Roku regains her feet and grasps at her friend's arm. "That can't _possibly_ be...?!"

"Yep. Looks like your folks to me. And your sister, too."

"How the hell did they find out about this?! I'm going to have a word with the Vampire Princess! Could you help me out here by taking tickets?"

"Sure," Aikido-chan mutters to herself. "I'm used to working at your family get-togethers..."

Roku runs over to the group, who are studying their tickets to figure out where their seats are.

Roku is anxiously friendly. "Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?!" She pulls her sister  aside and gives her the evil eye.

The Vampire Princess whispers defensively to her sister. "Don't blame me; I'm just the transportation. You can thank The Other One for this!"

Dad interrupts as usual. "Hi, Roku-chan. Chichiri's Girl sent us these tickets to your play--she said that your feelings would be hurt if we didn't show up for opening night!"

Roku swears under her breath. "I'm gonna_ kiiiiiiill _that wench!" She raises her voice. "Oh, it's not _my_ play - wherever did you get _that_ idea?"

Dad points to the program. "It says it right here--White Stones in the Moonlight, written and directed by Roku Kyu."

Roku curses softly again. "Damn!" She continues to scramble, trying to save the situation. "Oh, well, this isn't such a big deal…you don't have to stay. It's really a veeerrry boring play - you know, kinda artsy?"

Mom, tiring of the interchange, takes charge."Never mind. We itsa sit down now."

Roku grabs the tickets from Mom. "Let me get you better seats than these! Oh, here's some comfy ones over here - look, one for each of you! And just check out all the leg room!"

Dad protests, "But Roku-chan - these are out in the lobby."

"Yes, the view isn't perfect, but the sound is so much better out here!"

Mom snatches their tickets back. "Never mind, you itsa go do your job, we get our own seats. Come on, Dah-dy."

She leads the way to front-row seats. Vampire Princess shrugs apologetically at Roku, then follows them. 

   
Roku staggers around the lobby, clutching her head. "I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead..."

Aikido-chan places a comforting hand on Roku's shoulder. "You shouldn't be so upset. I think your parents will _like_ this play. After all, your mom's really into anime: Inu-Yasha, Rurouni Kenshin, Fushigi Yuugi…"

"Yeah, but how do you think she feels about sex and nudity?! Probably about the same as _your_ mom!"

Aikido-chan turns pale. "That bad, huh. You're right - you _are_ in it deep tonight!"

"Tell me about it." Roku shudders as another dark thought occurs to her. "I'll bet she's brought The Slipper, too!"

"The Slipper?"

"Yeah, The Slipper. As in Whap, Whap upside the head. Or other convenient portions of my anatomy…"

Aikido-chan is sympathetic. "My mom preferred a wooden spoon."

"Ouch! Man, that's what we get for being born before the age of 'Corporal Punishment Will Warp Your Child.'"  
  
The two women spend a quiet moment in sad contemplation of What Might Have Been, had they been born in the Dr. Spock era instead of the Mr. Spock era.

Finally, Roku gives herself a quick shake. "Ah, well, as long as everything's _totally_ cocked up over here, I might as well check in on the cast."

   
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**  
  
Part D.    The Cast**  
  
Here, in a room known as the greenroom, conspicuously free of any green coloring, several figures are busily engaged in touching up their make-up, studying their scripts, or just provoking each other into shouting matches. The actors display a veritable rainbow of hair colors, ranging from flaming red-gold to deepest midnight blue.

The red-haired one is bitching, as usual. "And didja see those god-awful elephant mermaids? Shit, where did Roku dig up this place? She says that this is s'posed to be some goddamn oriental motif. Oriental motif, my ass! If Hotohori ever decorated the Imperial Palace like this, you'd find ME out sleeping in the woods, just so I could avoid freak-ass nightmares!"

Tamahome needles his favorite target. "Ohhhhhhh, poor baby. Does the décor offend your 'thenth of fath-ion'?!"

"Fuck you, Obake-chan!"

 Tasuki and Tamahome begin brawling.   
   
The deep tones of the resident healer boom out. "Break it up, you two! Before I'm forced to break it up for you!"

"Fuck you, Mitsukake! Who died and made you emperor?! Oh... hey there, Hotohori--didn't see you standing there... hehhehhehheh..."

The emperor is not amused. "Would you two mind keeping it down? The noise level in here is giving me a tension headache... oh, no! I think I feel a frown line developing!"

Nuriko snatches up his makeup brush. "Oh, Hotohori-samaaaaaaa - let me make that all better for youuuuuu..."

Everyone else rolls their eyes.

Tamahome catches sight of his watch. "I wonder where Miaka is? It's getting late."

Nuriko looks up while giving Hotohori a neck massage. "Oh, she probably just stopped off for a bite at an 'All-you-can-eat' buffet; it shouldn't take her more than ten minutes to shut the place down... Ehehehehehehe."

Tasuki suddenly notices the other missing cast members. "But where's Chiriko? And Chichiri? It's not like _them_ to be late!"

Mitsukake breaks in reassuringly. "Oh, Chichiri's here, he's just holed up in his dressing room for now. He's decided to be a Method actor, and he's trying to get into the bad-ass mindset for the oni confrontation scenes."

Everyone exchanges puzzled glances.

Nuriko chimes in. "Well, anyway, the opening scene is only you and Tama, Tasuki. That gives the others a few more minutes to get here. Don't you think you'd better finish getting dressed?"

Tasuki pulls on his signature coat. "Yeah, I'd better enjoy having clothes while I can. That pervert Roku has me naked for about half this damn play!" He waves his thick script for emphasis.

Tamahome pipes up. "Well, it saves on costume costs, anyway."

Everyone sighs at the miser's usual obsession.

But a thought strikes Tamahome. "Wait a minute... what do you mean, half the damn play? There's only the two scenes at the beginning - Chapter 1, Aftermath and Chapter 2, Reprise. What other scenes are you talking about?!"

Tasuki slams his script shut. "Nothin'! I was just exaggerating! You know me... bitch, bitch, bitch..."

At that point, Roku walks in, smirking. "Somebody call me?"

Nuriko answers Roku while still trying to divert Tamahome. "Ummm, we were just talking about the excessive nudity in this play. Do you realize that nearly every one of us has a nude scene?!"

Roku is shocked. "_Nearly?_ Who did I forget?!"

Everyone rolls their eyes.

Nuriko answers again. "So far as we can tell, Chiriko, Mitsukake, and Hotohori-sama."

"Well, there will be _no_ Chiriko scenes - absolutely not!... uh-uh, none of THAT stuff in my play. But the other two - how could I forget _youuuu_? Aikido-chan is really gonna be ticked; she's a real Mitsukake fan! Look, tell ya what...let me write up a quick hot springs scene or something..."

Hotohori and Mitsukake jump in. "No, no, it's quite all right."

The emperor tries to be diplomatic. "Please don't trouble yourself, Roku."

Mitsukake grumbles softly. "I'll keep my family jewels to myself, thank you very much!"

Roku's not convinced.  "Are you guys SUUURE? I mean, I don't want you to feel left out, or anything."

"Quite sure! Quite sure! We don't feel left out at all... "

Nuriko snaps his fingers in regret. "Damn!"

Meanwhile, Tamahome has been glancing at the scripts that everyone else is holding. "Hey! I want to know why I just have this skinny little script," he waves his abbreviated version, "while everyone else has a damn phone book! Look, I'm missing Chapters 3, 7, 10, 12, the epilogue to the play!"

Roku gives the glare of death to everyone else, then smiles brightly at Tama. "Well, Tama sweetie, you're just not IN most of the play. Why should you have to memorize lines for scenes that you're not part of? Isn't it more... _economical_ this way?"

Tamahome is briefly distracted by his favorite word. "Well, maybe... but wait! Why does everybody _else_ have a full-sized script? They're not _all_ in _every_ scene!"

Roku does a frantic mental tap-dance. "Ummmm, errrrrrr..."

Just then, Miaka and Chiriko walk in, providing a life-saving distraction.

"Tamahome!"

"Miaka!"

"Tamahome!"

"Miaka!"

"Tamahome!"

"Miaka!"

Everyone else sighs wearily.

Tamahome grasps Miaka's hands and gazes down adoringly into her eyes. "Where have you been? I've been so worried about you!"

Chiriko breaks in to try to prevent the inevitable melodramatic love scene. "Miaka went with me to film some exterior shots of the theatre. I wanted to get some footage of the crowd coming in."

Tamahome switches gears instantly. "The audience is arriving already?! Ummmmm... see you guys later!"

Roku frowns as the actor prepares to dash from the greenroom. "Hey, chotto-matte! Where are you headed? The curtain's going to go up in about five minutes!"

Tamahome waves back reassuringly. "Don't worry--I'll be back in time for my scene."

Tasuki scowls at his disappearing costar. "Fuck, man!"

"Yeah, in time for that - catch you later!" Tamahome runs off.

Tasuki is outraged. "Grrrrrrrrrrr!"

Miaka turns towards her dressing room and nearly knocks into him. "Well, I'd better get ready for my scenes--oh, hi, Tasuki." She blushes for some inexplicable reason.

Tasuki blushes in return, although he tries to act casual. "Hey, there, Miaka."

Roku, missing nothing, recalls some interesting moments from their six weeks of rehearsal. However, she checks her watch and is forced to interrupt. "Come on, Tasuki. We'd better start making our way backstage."

"Yeah..." He glances back at Miaka. "Um, see ya in Chapter Three, Mi-chan."

Miaka laughs. "No, I'll be seeing _you_ in Chapter Three."

Tasuki is completely scarlet in the face now. "Ummmmm, yeah..."

Roku grabs his arm and steers him towards the stage, while Nuriko, Hotohori, Chiriko, and Mitsukake grin and elbow each other.

As Tasuki and Roku walk away, the Director holds her hand up to her eyes, squinting as if in pain. "Ooh, bad color combination! That red face with the orange-y hair - ouch! You'd better get over the blushing thing before Chapter Three, got it, Gen-chan?"

"Shut up! Hey, don't we need a flashlight back here?"

"Nah, that "wing" symbol of yours is doing a pretty good job of lighting our way."  She laughs at her actor's embarrassment.

"Fuck you, Roku!"

"Hey, show some respect. That's 'Fuck you, Madam _Director_' to you, buddy!"

Tasuki finally relaxes and smirks down at her. "Ahhhhhh, bite me!"

"Hey, that's _my_ line!"

Their argument fades into the distance as they head toward the stage.

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**  
  
Glossary of Japanese Terms:**  
  
onegai - please

Kisama! - _extremely_ rude form of "you", meaning something like "you son-of-a-bitch"

hanyou - half-youkai or half-demon. Inu-Yasha is half dog-demon, half-human, so he is referred to as a hanyou - meant to be insulting

Teme! - rude form of "you", meaning "you bastard" or "you bitch"

chotto-matte - Wait a minute. (This is also Roku's Dad's name for Tamahome - and "Screaming Mimi" is his name for Miaka)

Author's Note: (6-10-02) Well, here we are - a slow start, yes, but we will begin to pick up speed shortly, in the next chapter when the curtain actually rises!

Some quick explanations - First of all, you may have noticed that I refer to "chapters" instead of scenes. This is just for clarity with "White Stones" - especially since "White Stones" contains an average of three scenes per chapter, times 17 chapters… Gahhhh, you can see how complex it would be to keep track of actual scenes! So, yeah, we're sticking with the "chapter" designation here…

Next, I'm going to have some fun with the concept of "Method" acting. The actual Stanislavsky "Method" of acting is not the popular misconception - it is a legitimate philosophy that advocates approaching a role with as much background info as possible on a character (aka "subtext') to help the actor fully express the range of that character. However, a few "extremists" from the 1970's onward chose to interpret this as an actor having to actually experience the same (or close) experiences as the character, thus becoming somewhat as nutty as the characters (Roku's terminology). For example, an extremist "Method" actor would actually be unable to chat civilly between scenes with another actor who played his enemy because he would feel it necessary to maintain feelings of hatred or resentment against that person during the play. Or he might feel compelled to spend a sleepless night if the character did so. So I'm gonna do some jokes dealing with this extremist mind-set and just call it "Method" acting - no offense to any normal Method actors out there.

Speaking of taking offense - to my faithful reviewers; if I've used your name and you would prefer NOT to be mentioned here, please just drop me an e-mail, and I will immediately change the chapter to edit you out. I HAVE requested permission from many people that I've mentioned so far, but I'm sure that I forgot to ask at least a few of you, so please don't hesitate to let me know how you feel! Conversely, if I forgot to mention you, and you would LIKE to be included, just let me know that, too! (Especially if you have a favorite character, or a distinctive POV, or something... for example, Chao-chan requested that I provide her with Nakago's whip! And I did! Even though it's gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt her!)

Back to this silly fic: In the next chapter: The curtain rises... but where is Tamahome? What will Mom and Dad think of the play? Can Roku prevent Mom from seeing the more risque parts of the play (and the actors)?! Can Roku keep _Tamahome_ from seeing the more risque parts of the play?!

Will the actors behave themselves? Will the _audience_ behave themselves?! Well, of course not! Till next time!

Ja ne!

Roku

Updated Author Note:  (8-1-04)  So here it is, the new (non-improved) version of CS. There are a few changes in the script, due to the development of the story over two years, but it's essentially the same. The biggest change is that I'm eliminating every reference, for ethical reasons, to any fanfic author or reviewer who did not _specifically _request (in writing) to be in the play. I was a bit feckless two years ago when I said that any author who objected would have her name removed immediately. Over the past two years, I've never received any objections, but I think that it's a bit unfair of me to expect the aforementioned authors to have to write to me, especially since many of them have left in the interim. So, just to be safe, the only "guest fanfic authors" you will read about in upcoming chapters have given me their express permission to be used in this play. Much better policy, I think.  
   
Speaking of the rest of the play...it's gonna be awhile before I update. You see,  it's taking a VERY LONG time to reformat every line of every chapter...and as you can imagine, I'm not too happy about having to do this when I'm supposed to be spending my miniscule amount of free time working on new chapters of Bridge, Hidden Paths, and CS, of course.  Most likely, when CS updates with a Real New Chapter, it will update first on the website listed on my personal profile. I will convert that new chapter to text narrative and post it here later.  
   
Thanks for hanging around and reading. Ja ne!  
  



	2. The curtain rises

Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. The characters from Inu-Yasha are the creations and property of Rumiko Takahashi and related enterprises. I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

On the other hand, the original characters Mom and Dad are my original creations (actually, I'm their original creation) and they belong to me, as do other assorted family members and the original plotline and plot devices. As to the reviewers and fanfic authors in this fic - they belong to themselves! But I get to "borrow" them for the duration of this fic.

###############################################################################################################**  
  
Chapter 2. The curtain rises…** **  
  
Part A. The crew assembles.**  
  
Roku and Tasuki approach the backstage area. There is a strong smell of organic solvents here, making their eyes water. They see the figure of a young woman in her late teens with long, curly brown hair, holding a spray can and wearing a fume mask and glasses. She is bent over several items laid out on a newspaper, a multitude of necklaces around her neck jingling softly against each other.

Roku calls a greeting. "Hey, Kaze-chan, how's it going?"

Kaze-chan pulls off the mask. "Gettin' there, Roku. Now how many of these black leaves do you need? I've painted about a hundred already."

"Maybe another hundred - we're gonna need them in Chapters 5, 6, 10, and 14, and we might lose some in each scene…"

Tasuki grumbles, bored. "I don't know why the hell you bother… Ain't nobody gonna notice 'em anyway."

Roku looks hurt. "Well, _I_ still like them - so they're going in!"

Tasuki suddenly points at the little white kitty who is laying on his back, waving his paws gently while he stares off into space. "Hey, what's up with Tama-neko?"

Kaze-chan jumps guiltily. "Oops! Guess he inhaled too many of the fumes! Heh, heh… I'd better get him some fresh air."

Tasuki, still oddly distracted, now notices Kaze-chan's necklaces. "Hey, nice chains! I like your style!"

"Thanks! I figured that _you_ would be the one to appreciate my neck gear."

Tasuki fingers one of Kaze-chan's pendants - a hematite stone engraved with a rune, hanging from a nylon cord. "Where'd ya get these?"

"That one's from London, this other one's from France, the dagger one is from this town, and the other two are gifts."

"Damn! Mine are only from Konan." He touches his elaborate necklace of polished cabochon rubies strung between dark green jade beads. "I got this one from a rich merchant's wife."

"Nice when people understand what you like as gifts, isn't it?"

Tasuki looks away shiftily. "Welllllll, it wasn't _exactly_ a gift…"

Roku cuts in impatiently. "Okay, are we about finished with the Home Shopping Network here? Because, ya know, there's this little thing called a _play _that we have to put on!"

Tasuki rolls his eyes. "Geez, short people have short tempers, don't they?" Kaze-chan snickers quietly.

"Huh! Look who's talking about short tempers. Next to you, I'm the most even-tempered, patient, _tolerant_…" The Director cuts off as she catches sight of a medium height woman with a masculine swagger and wavy, dark hair cut in a pixie style. "HEY! Get over here, YOU _WENCH!"_

Chichiri's Girl calls over her shoulder as she attempts to run off. "Ummm, Roku, there's something I gotta do…"

It's too late. Roku catches her in a headlock. "There sure as _HELL_ is something you gotta do - like EXPLAINING exactly how Mom and Dad got tickets to a play they're _not supposed to know about!_ Hmmm, any ideas on that one, _Beem?!"_

Tasuki shudders. "Gaaahhh, sisters! Fuckin' violent all the time!"

Roku is busy giving Chichiri's Girl a good, hard noogie. "Violent? Moi? Towards my widdle baby _sister_?! No, no, no, _noooooooo_ - I just wuv her to DEATH!"

Chichiri's Girl howls in pain. "Ow, ow, _owwwwww!! _All right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It just seemed like a good idea at the time… Hey, if you grind a hole in my head, I'm not gonna be able to help you with the play!"

Roku releases her. "Well, let me tell you about another good idea! Since you're the one who got Mom here, _you're_ the one who has to come up with a way to keep her from seeing Chapters 1 and 2, got it? Get the Vampire Princess to help you. And if you fail, you DIIIIIIIIE!"

Kaze-chan sings to herself under her breath. "Sistersssss, sistersssss. There were never such devoted sisters…"

Roku looks around impatiently. "And where the hell is Tamahome? He should be here by now!" She peeks through the curtain at the audience, most of whom are munching on popcorn. "Well, the audience isn't too restless yet, but that's bound to change soon."

Footsteps approach the backstage area. Roku looks up eagerly, only to see another petite female member of the crew, with hair as red as Tasuki's. The Director sighs. "Oh, it's you, Sorceress."

The redhead raises an eyebrow. "Hey, don't sound so happy to see me." She holds up a box filled with stage make-up. "I'm just here so that we can do Tasuki's facial bruises right after the Prologue."

"Nah, I don't mean to sound disappointed; it's just that we're missing Tamahome, and I thought you were him. Have you seen him around?"

"Not for the last hour. He was hanging around while I was doing Tasuki's body bruises, offering to help out." Sorceress laughs. "By inflicting _real_ bruises, that is…"

Tasuki scowls at the memory. "Asshole!"

Roku scratches her head in aggravation. "Well, I'd better go look for him. Look, Sorcie, would you mind getting Hotohori to do the voice-over for the Prologue? I was gonna do it, but now I gotta chase down missing seishi. Besides, Hotohori's got a nicer speaking voice than I do. Give him these. "

She hands Sorceress pages of the script. Sorceress nods, then runs off. Roku then turns to Chichiri's Girl.

"You stay here near your psychic twin. I may need you at a moment's notice, so be ready." She runs off on her manhunt.

Chichiri's Girl scowls at Tasuki. "I don't know why the fuck she calls me your psychic twin."

"Beats the shit outta me."

Tasuki and Chichiri's Girl fold their arms across their chests and assume identical belligerent stances. Kaze-chan picks up the boneless kitty and takes it outside for fresh air. The clock ticks on…

###############################################################################################################**  
  
Part B. Waiting for Tamahome... (no, we couldn't care less about Godot…)**  
  
Roku returns to the backstage area, out of breath. Tasuki and Chichiri's Girl immediately stop trading stories about Roku's episodes of irrationality. Hotohori sits on a stool, getting some last-minute touch-ups to his make-up by Sorceress, while Nuriko hovers nearby. Kaze-chan has returned with a recovered Tama-neko and is testing out the stage machinery.

The Director is pissed. "Damn it! I can't find Tama anywhere! I talked to Miaka and Chiriko and even looked in on Chichiri, but nobody's seen him! I even went so far as to search the men's room! Gaaaahhhh! Literally pissed off a bunch of guys, except for that lech Tokaki, who seemed to think I was expressing a personal interest in him! That jerk's been impossible ever since he's been able to keep his younger form. At least when he was an old guy, he was a _little_ slower." She rubs her butt where it got pinched.

Kaze-chan perks up. "Tokaki's here? Hurray! Didja see Subaru?"

Nuriko smirks. "The car or the seishi?"

"Ha, ha, hardee-har-har. Like I haven't heard THAT one about a hundred times!"

Roku shakes her head. "No, I didn't see her, but remember, I was in the _men's_ room! Unless she's become as big a pervert as Tokaki, I wouldn't _expect_ to see her there"

Tasuki mutters under his breath. "Yeah, only one female pervert allowed in the men's room at a time…"

"Tasuki - number one, I heard that, and number two, shut up!"

Chichiri's Girl looks at her watch. "Look, Roku, it's already fifteen minutes past curtain time. What are you gonna do?"

Roku jitters nervously. "There's only one thing I _can_ do--start the scene with Tasuki and hope that the music will cue Tamahome, wherever he is, to get back here in time for the last part of the scene! And when he shows up, one of you has got to stop me from throttling him! Okay, so are we ready to go? Hotohori?"

"Just a moment, I have to check my make-up." Sorceress hands him a mirror.

Roku rakes a hand through her hair, trying to keep her temper. "Hotohori, you're doing a _voice-over_ for this scene. No one's going to see you!"

Hotohori is still primping in the mirror. "Perfection is not a state of being, it is a state of mind. One must always strive for excellence regardless of outside approbation."

Nuriko gets sparkly-eyed. "I love it when you talk that that, Hotohori-samaaaa!"

Everyone else sighs. The Director claps her hands together.

"All right, let's get this thing rolling. Kaze-chan, it's time for you to run up to the control booth and bring down the house lights. Oh, and as soon as you're ready, cue Kryssa to start the music. CG, get in position to run the rotating stage. Remember to wait until Tasuki's made at least one full circuit of the set before you hit the switch. And don't forget to start the background scenery moving, too! Sorcie, I need you to monitor everyone's radio mikes, but be ready for any other last minute tasks. Hotohori, here's a flashlight so that you can see the script. Nuriko, as long as you're here, would you mind holding the light for him? Okay, I think that's it. Everybody ready?"

Everyone shouts "Hai!" in mock obedience and moves off to their designated tasks. Roku accompanies Tasuki to stage left. She looks out at the stage, the center of which is dominated by a large circular section that is slightly tilted towards downstage. The upstage portion is therefore somewhat elevated, making it clearly visible to the audience.

"Okay, Tasuki, remember that the stage is tilted and will be moving at the same time, so make sure that you keep your footing."

Tasuki is breathing a bit rapidly. "Okay…"

Roku looks at him keenly. "You okay, Gen-chan?"

"Yeah…no. I'm scared shitless, Roku!"

Roku stares at his pale face. "I thought that you were used to this kinda thing."

"Not in front of a live audience, I'm not!" His eyes are creased with concern. "What if I fuck up?"

"You won't. And even if you do, you won't be the only one. So try not to worry--you're gonna be great in any case. Chin up, sweetie!"

The house lights go down. The loud conversations in the audience die down to expectant murmurs. The music begins, an ominous taiko drum piece in 12/8 time. The stage lighting comes on, creating the indigo glow of night. Invisible netting holds tiny twinkling lights in place against the indigo background, some bright, some dim, creating the illusion of depth in a convincing starry sky. The backdrop depicts corridors of the Imperial Palace in Konan, complete with lamps lit at regular intervals. The curtain rises, and the audience oohs and ahs at the set.

Roku extenda a hand. "Okay, Gen-chan - break a leg"

The seishi glares at her. "Gee, thanks, Roku. Fuckin' fall off a cliff yourself, why dontcha?"

The Director looks hurt. "'Break a leg' is theatre-speak for 'Good Luck,' Tasuki."

"Oh. Well, thanks, then. See ya in a few…"

"C'mon, gimme the secret Suzaku handshake."

It's an eight-count handshake. First, they slap palms, then the backs of their hands in a lateral movement. They then lock fingers twice, first right-side up, then upside-down. They knock fists, then lock pinkies, finally finishing with hooking their thumbs together and flapping their fingers like wings as they lift their hands while whistling.

Roku pushes Tasuki gently towards the stage. "Okay, go get 'em, sweetie."

Tasuki steps out onto the stage, upstage left. Screams suddenly erupt from the fangirls in the audience. Tasuki stops for a moment, stunned, then remembers his role and begins striding counterclockwise around the set. When he reaches the upstage area again, the circular stage begins rotating clockwise in time to his footsteps, so that he is actually staying in one place while walking. The background scenery moves at the same pace, showing changing corridors of the Imperial Palace. Hotohori's velvet voice begins the narration:

"Night had thrown its black mantle over the Konan Empire, cloaking the Imperial City and the palace of its emperor in velvet darkness. The stars blazed brilliantly in the heavens, their light undimmed by the crescent moon, as once again they asserted themselves as the sole jewels in the firmament now that the fireworks had ended. The celebrations of the Star-Gazing Festival were concluded…"

Roku checks her watch. "Okay, so far, so good… Now where the hell is Tamahome?!"

###############################################################################################################

**  
  
Part C. A prolonged prologue.**  
  
Sorceress runs into the backstage area, cursing under her breath. Roku is scribbling frantically on sheets of paper, passing them to Hotohori. She stops to look up hopefully at Sorceress, then sags in disappointment. "No luck, huh."

Sorceress is thoroughly aggravated. "Fuck, no! I looked EVERYWHERE, including the café down the street. I have no idea of where the fucking hell he can be!"

Roku subconsciously notes that the deterioration of Sorcie's language is directly correlated to the seriousness of the situation. She grimaces in frustration. "Damnit! The crowd's getting restless, too!"

Hotohori is reading the new pages as they are flung at him by the Director. "Having thoroughly pondered his entire childhood back to the moment of his conception, Tasuki now began to ponder the meaning of Life in general…"

Nuriko rolls his eyes. "Geez, _exposition_ much, Roku?"

"Damnit, I'm not in the mood for jokes now, Nuriko. The situation is growing desperate--and Suzaku only knows how much longer Tasuki's gonna keep walking around out there before he explodes!"

Nuriko peeks out from the curtain. "I don't think you have much more time; he's getting pretty red in the face. 'Course he might be a little winded from this unexpected walk-a-thon, too…"

Roku thrusts a few more sheets at Hotohori. Hotohori is the calmest person present, pleased with his increased lines. "Tasuki now began to meditate on the first creatures to crawl out of the primordial ooze, marveling at their daring in leaving the safety of their aquatic environment. And that thought made him contemplate the miracle of Life in the first place, the first macromolecules joining up to form simple amino acids, the building blocks of life…."

Onstage, Tasuki's hands curl into fists. The crowd is muttering angrily. Finally, someone shouts "Get _on_ with it, _already!!_" The crowd suddenly erupts, throwing their popcorn at Tasuki. This is too much for the hot-tempered bandit.

He stops walking and is now being swept around by the clockwise motion of the stage. "What the FUCK?! You think I'm _enjoying _this? I didn't fuckin' write this shit--I ain't even fuckin' _sayin'_ this shit! What the fuck do you expect me to doooooooo?!"

Roku clasps her head in despair. "Holy shit, here it comes! The big Rekka Shin'en that's gonna end with the Fire Marshal shutting us down! Crap! Why are they throwing their popcorn at him?" Suddenly, a light clicks on in the dark recesses of her brain. "Wait a minute. This isn't a movie theatre--where did they get the popcorn?" A dark suspicion arises in her thoughts. "Oh, he wouldn't…he couldn't _possibly!" _

The Director reaches out and grabs Chichiri's Girl. "Listen, I'm gonna go check something out. But first, I'm gonna try to get Tasuki back on track. He's obviously tired, so you need to slow down the stage. Remember to move the lever to the RIGHT."

Her sister nods seriously. "Yeah, I got it. Move it to the right, right?"

"Right." Roku gets distracted when she sees Mom standing up in the front row.

Mom starts shouting at Tasuki. "You itsa watch you mouth! I not put up with this low-class language! You itsa clean up your act!"

Tasuki is at the end of his rope. "Oh, yeah? Just try and make me!"

Roku: freezes up in terror. "Oh no, oh no, oh no--he didn't just sass her back, did he?!"

Everyone nods. "Yes, he did."

Roku clasps her hands and starts praying. "Oh, Suzaku, please spare his life, he knows not what he does…"

But it's too late. The Slipper comes winging out of the darkness, to whap Tasuki upside his head. He falls to his knees, as Roku leaps onstage to save her principal actor.

"Mom, Mom! You can't knock out my lead actor!"

Mom shakes a finger at her daughter. "You got to teach him some manners, Roku-chan. Where I grow up, in my town, we din't even know the meaning of such words…"

Roku is nearly weeping. "Okay, I'll teach him, I promise! But please, no more Slipper, okay, Mom?"

"Fine, then let him 'pologize." Mom folds her arms.

Roku lifts up the dazed Tasuki, using her hand to move his jaw and trying to pitch her voice lower. "Gomen nasai, Kyu-san."

"Hmph. You sound like a girl. " Mom sits down satisfied.

Nakago smirks in the next row. "This play is shaping up even better than I had hoped. I am most amused."

Soi cuddles up to him. "Hai, Nakago-sama. Most entertaining. Perhaps we should try to recruit that mother of the Director of White Stones to join the Seiryuu team. She is certainly more formidable than Amiboshi."

"Hmmm, an interesting thought, Soi. Now please remove your hand from my pocket."

"Hai, Lord Nakago."

Meanwhile, Roku drags Tasuki offstage, then starts slapping him gently. "Tasuki, Tasuki, wake up, please…"

Tasuki opens his eyes, confused. "What the fuck was _that_?!"

"Never mind, Tasuki. You have to go back out there. We'll just start again from the top, and Tamahome will be here for his scene, I _promise_ you!"

"Why the fuck should I go back out there? Fuckin' crazy people in the audience, fuckin nutso maniacs… and I'm so goddamn tired of walking already!"

Roku draws herself up to her full height of 5'2", tears shining in her eyes. "Tasuki… the show must go on…"

"C'mon, that's not fair. No cryin', for fuck's sake--you know that I can't stand it when girls cry!"

"I'm counting on that," the Director mutters to herself. She raises her voice in a whining appeal. "Pleeeease, Tasuki?!"

"Oh, all right. Shit!"

Roku pats him on the behind as he heads back towards the stage. He flips her the bird in reply.

She then turns back to her sister. "Okay, that's settled. Now remember, turn the lever…"

"To the right," Chichiri's Girl interrupts.

"Yes!! Now I gotta go get Tama!"

###############################################################################################################**  
  
Part D. 'Home at last.**  
  
Roku dashes upstairs to the lobby, then pauses to catch her breath, noting that the area is filled with the smell of popcorn. She picks up a discarded popcorn box, noticing the "Triple T" logo on the side. Glaring, she tosses it aside and begins to stride purposefully into the center of the lobby. She suddenly spies the tall, elegant figure of Sesshoumaru, looking even more bored than usual as he drifts through the lobby, his long white hair swaying gently behind him, reaching nearly to his knees. Roku shrinks back, knowing his propensity to casually kill humans who get in his way. But someone is not so cautious. A familiar voice rings out.

"Lady! Hey, pretty lady! It's your lucky day, gorgeous! I just happen to have one last box of popcorn here with your name on it. Half price for such a cute girl!"

Sesshoumaru turns and fixes his demonic golden glare on the vendor, who suddenly realizes his mistake. "Um, er, I meant honored sir! Yes, that's it--most honored, most _unmistakably_ masculine sir! Still only half-price for a gentleman of your obviously discriminating taste!"

Sesshoumaru's voice is very cold. "I do not eat human food."

"Right. No human food. So what _do_ you eat the-- dog food?! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! "

Sesshoumaru suddenly leaps up into the air, his poison claws outstretched in attack mode. Roku makes a running leap and tackles the vendor, leaving an empty space just milliseconds before Sesshoumaru's claws rake through that area.

Roku gets up and begins to taunt the enraged demon lord. "Okay, Fluffy, if you're so tough, let's see that doggie face now!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes turn red as his hair flows back, and he begins to transform into his canine form. Roku backs away as his transforming body reaches to the lobby ceiling. Just as he reaches his formidable demon size...he pitches forward and falls on his nose, forgetting once again that Inu-Yasha has cut off his left foreleg, so that he literally does not have a leg to stand on on that side. Roku grabs the vendor and hightails it out of the lobby before Sesshoumaru recovers.

They run all the way down to the lower level, to the green room. Roku gasps for air, then angrily shoves the vendor back against the wall.

"You idiot, you'd better think twice before mocking a demon lord again. You almost got killed back there! Good thing I saved your life...because now _I'm_ gonna kill you!" She places her hands around Tamahome's throat and squeezes.

Tamahome easily removes her hands and holds them immobile above her head. "Re-laaaaaxx, Roku. I could've taken him, no problem! You know, you need to learn to not sweat the small stuff."

Roku snatches her hands down. "The small stuff. Yeah, the small stuff. Like a play into which I've sunk my LIFE SAVINGS to stage, and that _you_ decide to bail out of in favor of selling popcorn. Yeah, I guess I'm just an UPTIGHT PARANOID WENCH!"

Tamahome is hurt by her accusation. "I didn't bail out on you. I'm not that kind of guy. I was just finishing up there, then I was gonna be onstage before you guys even missed me."

"Oh, _before_ we missed you. Well, I got news for you, Tama. We first missed you about TWENTY MINUTES AGO! This whole time, Tasuki's been pacing around onstage waiting for you, wearing a damn TRENCH into the wood floor! And the crowd is angry and impatient and about ready to walk out! So whaddaya think?! Am I still sweating the _small stuff_?!"

Tamahome is truly contrite. "I guess the time got away from me. But I didn't mean to screw you over. In fact, I've known all along that you were spending your own money on this play, so I wanted to help you out." He starts getting excited. "And I think I did pretty good! Man, you can't believe all the okane I made! _Tons_ of okane! And it's all for you!!"

Roku stares at him for a long, quiet moment. "As usual, Tama-baby, your heart's in the right place even though your head's somewhere around the constellation of Orion." She sighs. "You know I can't stay mad at you, Boy Blue. But you sure take me to the limits of my patience. So come on, put in your freaky reflective contact lenses and let's get this show rolling."

"Okay, okay - but first, let me show you some of the okane!" Tamahome starts emptying his pockets. Quarters, nickels and dimes begin spilling out in piles. "See, look at all the silver pieces!" A couple of Sacajawea dollars roll out. "And even some gold pieces! Yeah, some people tried to rip me off with stupid paper money, but I said No, sir! Only silver or gold!" He beams proudly at Roku.

Roku puts her hand up to her forehead for a moment... then lowers her hand to reveal eyes filled with tears. She smiles warmly at him. "Yeah, you done real good, Tama-chan." Her voice is very soft and affectionate. "_Real_ good, my little Boy Blue."

She pulls the young man, who towers over her by at least ten inches, into a warm hug, then pushes him towards his dressing room.

###############################################################################################################**  
  
Part E. No, the _other_ right!!**  
  
A very short time thereafter, Roku and Tamahome are quickly approaching the backstage area. To Roku's horror, she hears the stage machinery groaning under some tremendous strain. Nuriko and Hotohori are anxiously observing the stage from the wings, while Sorceress and Chichiri's Girl struggle with something in the background.

Roku looks out from behind Nuriko and Hotohori... to see Tasuki running flat out at top speed on the rapidly spinning circular stage. His coat is open, and he has also pulled open his shirt in a desperate attempt to get more air. His eyes are beginning to glaze over, and the director can tell that it is only a matter of moments before he loses it. If he falls, the speed of the spinning stage will catapult him out into space with the force of several g's. The background scenery is also flying by, giving many audience members vertigo. There are some cries for airsickness bags. Roku can make out the form of Kaze-chan flying down from the lighting booth, running desperately towards the backstage area.

Roku runs up to where Chichiri's Girl and Sorceress are struggling with the stage controls. "What the _FUCK_ is going on here?! Why is this lever all the way over to the LEFT?! "

Chichiri's Girl laughs nervously. "Hehhehhehheheh. Ummmmmm, Tasuki was looking a little tired, so I turned the lever to the right to slow the stage, like you told me to. Only it started speeding up instead. So I turned it _more_ to the right, and it kept getting faster, so I turned it MORE to the right, and it just kept getting _worse_...and now it's _stuck_!"

Roku stares at her sister. "I am a complete moron. I am the most stupid person to ever draw breath on the face of this planet! I am a COMPLETE AND TOTAL BRAINLESS TWIT TO FORGET THAT YOU CAN'T TELL YOUR RIGHT FROM YOUR LEFT! You _IDIOT!_ You kept turning the lever to the _LEFT!_ You were supposed to turn it to YOUR _OTHER_ RIGHT!"

"Oops! My _other_ right... now I remember!! Hehhehhehhehehheh…"

"Well, what are we gonna do to rescue Tasuki?!" Roku turns to Nuriko. "Nuri-chan, can you do anything?!"

"I tried pulling on the lever when it first got stuck - and damn near broke it off! I'm afraid that brute strength isn't the answer here, Roku…"

Roku is desperate. "We've got to do something! Or Tasuki's gonna die! And probably take out a few audience members with him!"

Meanwhile, out in the audience, Nakago views the situation with intense enjoyment. "Hmmmmmmm, death by hamster wheel. I must admit, that method never occurred to me before. _Most_ entertaining! I must keep it in mind for future interactions with the Suzaku seishi."

Backstage, Tamahome begins tugging fiercely at the handle, when Kaze-chan finally arrives, breathless.

"Outta my way!"

She jumps at the lever, pulling it outward while simultaneously kicking the wall which houses the piston assembly with several short, hard kicks. She then pulls the lever slowly to the right in small increments. The machinery begins to slow down, emitting one last mechanical groan as it moves back to normal speed.

The young tech looks up at Rok and grins weakly. "Captain, me engines can't take much more o' this!"

Roku falls to her knees before the teenager. "You're a genius! Will you marry me?"

Kaze-chan grins again. "Sure! That makes me what - number ten on your list of marriage proposals this week?"

"I think number eleven. Which reminds me--how's my boy?"

Tamahome re-enters the backstage area carrying Tasuki, who had collapsed on the decelerating stage. His face is still very flushed, but his breathing is slowing down to normal.

Roku places a trembling hand on his forehead. "Gods, I'm so sorry, Gen-chan. I never meant to put you through this much."

Chichiri's Girl is crying. "No,_ I'm_ the one who's sorry. How could I be so stupid?!"

"No, it's _my_ fault. I blew out of here in such a hurry, I never bothered to make sure that you understood my instructions clearly..."

Tamahome speaks up guiltily. "Well, then it's _my_ fault, since I'm the reason that you were forced to leave, and the reason that Tasuki was stuck out there for so long..."

Kaze-chan chimes in. "No, it's _my_ fault, because I knew that the stage control was sticky, but I forgot to tell anyone..."

A soft, irritated voice speaks up. "Yer _all_ a buncha assholes!"

Everyone cries out, "Tasukiiiiii!" They all fall on him in a big group hug.

"Gahhhhhhhh, get offa me, already! Can't stand all this fuckin' sap! Yer makin' me sick!"

Roku pulls him to his feet. "Thank Suzaku you're all right! Just give me a couple of minutes to let the audience know that we're closing the play tonight, then I'll be right back here, and we can..."

Tasuki is outraged. "What the fuck are you talkin' about, closing the play?! Tama's here now, so we're just gettin' ready to start! What the fuck's _wrong_ with ya?"

"I thought maybe you needed a break, Tasuki. I mean, everything's going wrong anyway, and you nearly _died_ out there!"

"Shit, I didn't nearly _die!_ I ain't that easy ta kill, ya know!"

Roku laughs. "No, you're not, are you? I guess I forgot that."

Tasuki grins back at her. "Damn right you did. Now let's get this ball rolling..."

###############################################################################################################**  
  
Part F. The oni appears...**  
  
Tasuki and Tamahome stand in a set comprised of a bed, a wardrobe and a table and chairs. The stage is no longer rotating, but is still slightly tilted upward towards the back, keeping the upstage area clearly visible to the audience. Further downstage are two abbreviated walls, representing the outside walls of Tamahome's bedrooom. The tension grows between the two characters as they act out their angry confrontation. The music of the taiko drums contributes to the building tension.

Tamahome's hands clench into fists as he accuses Tasuki. "I saw you tonight. I saw the two of you together...and now I know why she rejected my proposal!"

Tasuki's eyes widen in shock. "No, you've got it wrong! We weren't...we didn't!" He stops and takes a deep breath. "We gotta talk, Tama."

Suddenly, Kaze-chan shines a green spotlight directly on Tamahome's face. A reflective "oni" symbol pasted on his forehead and his reflective contacts make the greenish light seem to shine out from his face. The audience gasps.

Tasuki steps back, fear suddenly crossing his features. "What the _Hell?_ I've never been afraid of Tama before, not even when he was under the kodoku spell!"

Tamahome walks downstage until he stands even with the short walls. He stops, standing in the green spotlight, his eyes and oni symbol glowing eerily. The lamps on either side of the short walls flicker and go out, leaving downstage in sudden darkness. Spotlights of greenish-yellow shine down in front of Tamahome, nearly obscuring him and Tasuki .

Tamahome smiles out into the darkness, his voice amused, seductive. "So let's talk."

He slowly pulls the walls together as if they were sliding doors, gradually cutting off the upstage view of him and Tasuki. As soon as he draws the doors together, the music stops and the lights go out, leaving the stage in darkness. In the silence, there is one final sound - that of a bolt being shot. The audience lets out a long, trembling breath as the curtain comes down between scenes.

Roku peeks out at the audience from the wings. "Yesss!!"

###############################################################################################################

###############################################################################################################

Author's notes: (6-13-02) Ooh, yeah, boo, scary! Pretty schizophrenic chapter, ne? Some slapstick, some sap, some danger, some tension - yeah, you can tell that I'm pretty schizo myself about this fic.

And we haven't even gotten to Chapter 1, yet!! Aaarrgghhhhh! I really do _not _intend this fic to be as long as White Stones itself - but like White Stones, this is taking on a peculiar life of its own and once again, I feel like I'm only along for the ride. Gackkkkk! Not again, you cry!! Not to mention the return of encyclopedia-length chapters!

Next time: Yes, we finally arrive at Chapters 1 and 2 - the most traumatic chapters in the entire story. Will Chichiri's Girl succeed in her assignment to divert Mom from the dreadful events happening on stage? What will Dad think? Will _anybody_ be able to get the Vampire Princess out of the bathroom? And… how will Tamahome get Tasuki to scream convincingly? Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Do you think that this chapter will be appropriately serious, considering the serious subject matter? Come on - you know meeeeeeeee.

Ja ne!

Roku

Updated notes: (8-9-04) Well, here it is, the second of the reformatted CS chapters. As I mentioned in the first chapter's notes, it is a very long and tedious process to reformat almost every line of this fic…so updates in this format will not be as rapid as in the old script form.

In all of this bad news, there is some good. Look to my Personal Profile page to find a link to an amazing website where you may see the True, Original Format of Casting Stones in all of its "script fic" glory. On that website, also keep an eye out for another banned fic, a little piece of entertainment called "Ignorance and Deceit."

Thanks for being so supportive, minna! And now...I'm getting back to "Bridge!" Work, work, work, work...

Ja ne!


	3. Danses sacred and profane

Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. The characters from Inu-Yasha are the creations and property of Rumiko Takahashi and related enterprises. I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

On the other hand, the plotline and the characters Mom and Dad are my original creations (actually, I'm _their_ original creation) and they belong to me. As do other assorted family members. As to the reviewers and fanfic authors in this fic - they belong to themselves! But I get to "borrow" them for the duration of this fic - hee, hee, hee.

Musical Selection for Part E: "Sona" by Secret Garden, on their CD 'Dawn of a New Century' copyright 1999 Polygram Publishing, Norway.

WARNING: For those readers who are not familiar with the storyline of "White Stones in the Moonlight," this chapter, especially the last section, depicts the re-enactment of the rape scene from that story. This material may be offensive to younger or sensitive readers. Please skip this chapter if you think that this subject matter may upset you.

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**Chapter 3. Danses Sacred and Profane**

**  
Part A. The set-up**

As soon as the curtain drops, the cast and crew swing into action like a well-trained Indy 500 pit crew. Tasuki and Tamahome duck behind wooden screens set up backstage and begin throwing off their clothes. Sorceress tosses robes over the screens for the young men, then sets up her make-up palette in preparation for painting bruises on Tasuki's face. Chichiri and Mitsukake arrive, glancing through their scripts one last time. They are trailed by Chiriko, still clutching the video camera. Roku tears herself away from the curtain to help Chichiri's Girl and Kaze-chan move the new set into place.

The set is an expanded version of Tamahome's room from the previous prologue, brought downstage and turned ninety degrees counterclockwise so that the headboard of the bed is now at stage right. The 'door' to the 'bath chamber' is directly upstage, whereas the 'door' to the corridor is opposite the bed, at stage left. There is also a 'window' in the stage left wall of the room. This set is situated on the downstage half of the rotating floor, the wall of Tamahome's room neatly bisecting the circular stage. On the unseen upstage side of the rotating floor is the set which depicts the lake bordering the Imperial Palace, where Tamahome will encounter Chichiri.

All these changes are made to the set in under a minute.

Her first task complete, Roku pulls Chichiri's Girl aside for instructions. "Now get out there and get Mom outta here for the next two scenes! I don't care how you do it, just _do it!"_

"Listen, Roku, I think you're a little too demanding here. How do you expect me to think up a plan on such short notice?"

"You should have thought of that _before _you sent them the tickets!If you're looking for sympathy now, you can find it in the dictionary..."

"Yeah, I know, between 'Shit' and 'Syphilis.' I know the old man's sayings as well as you do, Roku . Geez, you're such an emotional wench, getting all worked up for no reason..."

Roku refuses to be diverted. "Just _Gooooooo!" _She kicks her sister out into the auditorium.

Chichiri's Girl stumbles through the curtain, making the crowd look up in anticipation. She gives a small, embarrassed wave to show that she's not part of the next scene and jumps down by the first row seats.

"Hey, Mom, Dad... how's it going?"

Dad grins in his usual good-natured way. "Fine, fine... hey, when's the next scene gonna start?"

Chichiri's Girl mutters under her breath. "As soon as I get Mom outta here..." She speaks up louder. "Um, Mom, do ya want me to show you where the bathrooms are? They're really neat."

Mom is glancing through the program. "No."

The Vampire Princess, however, takes her up on her offer. "Hey, I'd like to see the bathrooms."

Chichiri's Girl rolls her eyes. "No shit, _Princess_. I mean, you've been outta the bathroom for what, ten minutes now? Geez, you must be suffering from withdrawal!"

The Vampire Princess hisses in an undertone. "Fuck you, wench!"

"Eh? What's that? Couldn't hear ya; ya need to speak up, _Princess. _Mom didn't hear what you're trying to _saaaay._"

The Vampire Princess makes an emphatic and rude gesture at her youngest sister, then stops as Mom looks up. She growls at CG in an undertone. "I hope Roku kicks your butt! She seemed pretty pissed when I saw her earlier."

Chichiri's Girl remembers that that's _exactly_ what's going to happen if she doesn't get Mom out in the next thirty seconds. "Ulp!" She looks upward for inspiration, then catches sight of a familiar red kimono. "Hey, Mom! Inu-Yasha and Kagome are up in the balcony! And... and... I think I saw Kikyou heading up the stairs towards them! What do you think about that?"

Mom is suddenly angry. "That Kikyou - she itsa dirt! And bones! And Kagome should not be back with Inu-Yasha! He itsa two-timer!"

Chichiri's Girl cheerfully sacrifices Inu-Yasha to save her own butt. "Yeah, Mom! Why don't you go give him a piece of your mind?"

Mom grabs her purse. "All right! We go now!"

"We?!" Chichiri's Girl finds herself being dragged along by Mom on their mission to confront Inu-Yasha.

Meanwhile, Roku and Kaze-chan finish prepping the set, and Roku calls to Tasuki to get ready. Kaze-chan runs back up to the lighting booth.Roku remains downstage, peeking out from the curtains. She is relieved to see Mom exit with Chichiri's Girl, although there is something in Mom's determined stomp that makes her nervous.

Tasuki enters the stage, appropriately bruised and battered-looking, and quickly gets into position in the bed, flinging off his robe and pulling the sheet across his waist for modesty. He whistles softly to signal that he's ready. Roku turns from the curtains and begins tying his hands to the headboard, using a strip of white material with sleeves and cuffs, cut to resemble a shirt.

She sings to herself as she rapidly completes her task. "A Dreeeeeam is a Wiiiiiiish Your Heart Maaaakes..."

"Gahhhhhh, women! Perverts, every last one of 'em!"

Roku bats her eyes innocently. "Who, moi?"

"Oui, tu, Mademoiselle Piggy!"

"Tish! You spoke French!" She pants. "You know what it does to me when you speak French!"

She begins to rain little kisses on his inner arm from his wrist upwards. Tasuki starts out cursing but then giggles uncharacteristically. Neither notices Tamahome, who has just arrived onstage clad in his robe.

Tasuki squirms. "Stop that! It tickles!"

" Oh, we're ticklish, are we?" Roku strikes a dramatic pose. "Had I world enough and time!"

Tamahome crosses his arms. "I can see that I'm interrupting a special moment here. Why don't you let me go out there and send the crowd home? Then you two can have some quality time together."

Roku smirks. "Oh, don't be jealous, Tamaaaaaa...he's all yours now!"

She skitters out quickly as both young men curse at her. Tamahome hesitates one moment, then flings off his robe, concealing it near the scattered bedclothes. He quickly gets into bed with Tasuki, pulling the sheet to cover himself.

Tasuki is pissed off. "Hey, asshole - you just uncovered me! Put the damn sheet back!"

"Put it back yourself, bakayarou!"

"Listen, shit-for-brains, I'm a little tied up right now! So if you don't want Roku kicking your ass for changing her play from R to NC-17 in the second scene, you're gonna have to cover me up!"

"Oh! Heh heh! Forgot!" Tamahome pulls the sheet so that it covers Tasuki again.

Roku calls from the wings. "Okay, guys, assume the position!"

Tamahome moves so that his head is resting on Tasuki's chest, then gingerly places his arm across Tasuki's waist. Both young men stare off into space, pretending that the other isn't there. Up in the lighting booth, Kaze-chan begins running through the lighting changes, as Roku-chan calls in adjustments through their radio link-up.

Tasuki scowls. "Remind me again why we ever agreed to do this!"

"Well, I'm in it for the okane! Roku said that if the play's a success, we're all gonna share in the profits!"

"Yeah, stupid question to ask _you."_

Tamahome narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Well, if you're not in it for the okane, why did _you_ agree to do it?"

Tasuki is suddenly evasive. "Well, the okane's fine. But I'm really in it to...to expand my range as an actor! That's it, yeah, actor shit, ya know."

Tamahome is not convinced. "Hmph!"

Both young men stare off into space again, acutely embarrassed.

Tamahome is thinking to himself. '_Just keep thinking about the okane_...'

Tasuki is thinking to himself. '_Just keep thinkin' about Enchantment...Whoops! Thinkin' a little too MUCH about Enchantment!'_

Tamahome is thinking to himself. '_Whoops! Thinking a little too MUCH about the okane!'_

Both seishi suddenly draw back, furious. "What the Hell are _you_ thinkin' about?!"

Roku hisses from the wings. "Shut up, you two - the curtain's going up!"

No one notices a small figure hidden near the curtain, industriously videotaping the behind-the-scenes action.

Chiriko snickers to himself. "Tamahome and Tasuki - Their Hidden Love Revealed! Hee, hee, hee, hee..."

** /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**Part B. Aftermath begins**

As the curtain rises, the set is barely visible, dimly lit in deep blue and heavily shadowed. Kryssa starts the music: a low thrumming bass whole note, imparting a feeling of rising tension. Kaze-chan begins running through the lighting changes. First, the overhead blue light changes to a lighter pastel blue, gradually brightening the room. Spotlights set off to the side send beams through the "window," shining pale pink light upwards towards the "ceiling" of the room. The beams of pink light begins to shift down the wall until they illuminate first Tasuki's bound hands, then shift lower to light the upper part of his body. He is suspended by his bound arms, his body only half-reclining as he sleeps. His head hangs towards his right arm, his hair covering his eyes. Tamahome's form remains in shadow, an indistinct shape resting on his chest. The low bass note is joined by the thrumming of violas and cellos, the ominous tones rising in urgency.

In the auditorium, the audience leans forward in both anticipation and dread. Of course, this is the point in time that Roku's Dad chooses to begin his customary stream-of-consciousness remarks, Mom no longer at his side to restrain him.

Dad starts talking to the Vampire Princess and the world in general. "Hey, you know, this reminds me of a play I went to with your mom when you kids were little. We had to leave you with a babysitter, yeah, you guys didn't like that, wanted to come with us. I remember Chichiri's Girl crying about how we never took her anywhere, not even on our honeymoon. Heh, heh... the kid just didn't get it. And if I remember right, you or Roku-chan whapped her one, and then we had to set up punishment for you before we left. Anyway, this play we went to was Camelot, I think. Lemme see, I think it was Kathryn Grayson who played Guinevere. Hey, she's still alive, but man, way bigger than she used to be…"

Vampire Princess hisses at him. "Dad! Shhhhh! The play's starting - you have to be quiet!"

"Oh, yeah? I guess you're right. Hey, look at that!" He begins giggling at the sight of Tasuki tied to the bed, the way he always does when he sees anything risque. "Hey, Roku-chan's right; this _does_ look like one of those artsy-fartsy plays! Heh, heh, heh--glad your mom's not here to see this; she wouldn't like this one bit, uh-uh. She don't go for this sex and nudity in movies and stuff. Next thing you know, that Slipper of hers would be flyin' out at the stage. Yeah, she sure wings that thing out there when she gets P.O.'d about something… Heh, heh, heh. That redhead's gotta be the flattest-chested girl I've ever seen. Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Of course, Dad's loud voice carries clearly to the stage, especially from his position in the front row. The supposedly unconscious Tasuki's lips tighten in irritation, while Tamahome's shadowed form shakes suspiciously.

In the wings, Roku grips her head in both hands. "Yeah, you go to all this trouble to set a mood, spending weeks picking out the right music and designing the lighting sequence - only to have your parental units destroy the whole damn thing in forty seconds flat!"

Meanwhile, out in the audience…

"Dad, that's not a girl, that's the guy from the previous scene!"

"Ulp!" Dad is suddenly hesitant. "And the other one in bed with him?"

The Vampire Princess smirks maliciously. "Also a guy, Dad."

"Gaaackkkk!" Dad is mercifully rendered speechless.

Roku jumps at the opening, telling Kryssa to bring up the music, which is Tasuki's signal to begin the scene.

Tasuki takes the cue, letting out a groan of pain as he forces his eyes open and fixes them on his bonds. "Oh dear Suzaku, no… Gods, _no_…" He begins sobbing. "Gods, it can't be, please, _PLEASE!"_

The light brightens in the room, now clearly illuminating Tamahome where he lies with his arm across Tasuki's waist.

Tasuki startles at the sight of Tamahome, then begins pulling weakly at his bonds. " No, no, _noooooooo_…" He tries to stifle his sobs but fails. " It's gonna happen again… and _again_… and oh, Gods, it's _never_ gonna end!" His sobs die down into hopeless whimpers as Tamahome begins to stir.

Tamahome lifts his head and blinks sleepily. "Chuei? Yuiren?"

He focuses on the body sobbing beneath him in the bed - and jumps back in horror, crouching and covering his nakedness with his hands. "Tasuki! What the hell happened here? What are you doing in my room? What in all the _Hells?!"_

Roku is pacing apprehensively in the wings. "Well, here we go, folks. The roller coaster has reached the first big drop--and the two harshest chapters are now underway…"

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

** Part C. The need to fish**

Roku is in the wings, shivering slightly at Tasuki and Tamahome's realistic depiction of their mutual panic and anguish. Quiet footsteps approach her.

Chichiri touches her arm. "Roku, may I have a word with you, please, no da?"

Roku is trying to watch what's going on onstage and also listen politely at the same time. "Sure, but it has to be quick. You're on in about two minutes."

"Arigato, no da. It's about my motivation in this scene - I'm just not _feeling_ it yet, no da."

Roku frowns at him. "That's strange, because it's just like what you do every day in real life - be the protective father figure looking after the kids."

"No, no, I understand that part, no da. It's the other part."

"Oh, you mean that threatening line at the end. We talked about this before, don't you remember? - suspicions of Taiitsukun, your hidden powers, etcetera, etcetera..."

"No, I have no problem with that part either, na no da."

Roku grows impatient. "Then what is it?!"

"It's my first scene, no da. The fishing scene. I just don't understand my motivation for fishing, no da!"

"Let's just say that you want to catch some fish."

Chichiri frowns. "Hmmmmmm. But if I truly wanted to catch fish, shouldn't I have real bait, no da?"

"No, because number one, we don't have time to get you some worms and number two, you don't need them anyway, since there are NO FISH!"

"No fish, no da?"

Roku is thoroughly aggravated. "No, no _fish_, no da! I can guarantee you that there are NO FISH embedded in the stage floor, not so much as a single GUPPY!"

"No fish, then, huh."

Roku starts yelling in a hoarse whisper. "YES, _NO _FISH!"

Chichiri ponders this statement. "Then what's my motivation for fishing?"

"Gaaaaahhhh!" She grabs Chichiri by the front of his shirt. "Your motivation is that I will throw you to the fangirls if you don't fish like you mean it! Better yet, I'll hand you over to my sister, who is not only obsessed with you but also has been reading up on bizarre Buddhist sexual practices. Are you _motivated YET_?!"

Chichiri turns pale. "Hai, no da! Hai, fishing! I can feel it now...the need to fish!"

Roku releases him. "Good. Now get out there and fish like your ass depends on it, because it _does!"_

Chichiri turns to get away from Roku as quickly as he can, but she snags him by his kesa.

"One other thing, 'Chiri - you've got to quit saying 'no da!' You are on a 'no da' diet now - you only get six or seven 'no da's' for the entire play! So, no 'no da's', got it?

"No no da's, na no da?"

"Yes, no no da's, na na do! Ummm, I mean no no da's, na da no da no... Oh, crap, now you've got _me_ doing it! Just zip the lip with the no da's, got it?!"

"Hai, no... umm, just Hai, I guess."

Roku narrows her eyes at him. "Right."

Roku notices that the scene is ending, and Tamahome is getting ready to run out of his room to get help for Tasuki. She starts up the rotating stage and gestures to Chichiri to get on.

Chichiri runs onto the slowly moving stage and drops down into a cross-legged position before the pond made of reflective material. He casts his fishing line into the "water" and stares intently at the end of the line. Roku is pleased to see that his slight trembling is not visible from several feet away. She moves up towards the downstage part of the wings so she can see the new scene as it rotates into place. Kaze-chan brings up the footlights to cast a shimmering, wavelike light up into Chichiri's face.

Meanwhile, on the reverse (and now hidden) side of the stage, Sorceress helps Tasuki to get into position, huddled near Tamahome's wardrobe with the blanket pulled up over his head. She takes care not to disturb his quiet inward focus, knowing that he is preparing for the intense emotions he must display in his next scene.

As the stage reaches its position and stops rotating, Kaze-chan brings up pink and orange lights to simulate the dawn light on the lake. Tamahome comes running around the edge of the set, the backdrop now picturing the Imperial Palace at a distance. The young man appears realistically panicked and distraught.

He catches sight of Chichiri sitting by the 'lake.' "Oh, thank Suzaku!" He bursts into loud sobs.

Chichiri doesn't acknowledge his presence, still staring intently at his line in the water. Tamahome pauses, confused...then starts sobbing again, louder this time. Chichiri still doesn't react, still focused on his fishing.

Roku mutters under her breath. "Oh, gods, I've created a monster! A _fishing_ monster! Suzaku save me from Method actors!"

Tamahome pauses again, becoming obviously angry. He marches up to Chichiri and shakes him good and hard.

At the same time, Roku hisses in a stage whisper. "Enough with the fishing, already!"

Chichiri finally looks up from his fishing line to meet Tamahome's glare. Tamahome bursts into loud sobs for the third time. Chichiri jumps up and assumes his assigned role.

Chichiri places his hand on Tamahome's shoulder. "Easy, easy now, just breathe… and tell me what's wrong."

Tamahome chokes out the words. "It's Tasuki! He's hurt bad, real bad... and he's in my room!"

They take off running towards offstage right and disappear into the wings. Roku starts the stage rotating once more, while Chichiri and Tamahome walk around behind it to re-enter the next scene at offstage left--the door to Tamahome's room. Mitsukake stands in the wings at stage left, waiting patiently for his entrance.

At this moment, Chichiri's Girl runs up to Roku and drags her to one side. "Roku, you have to come quick! Mom's out in the lobby causing a scene; she's got Inu-Yasha by one ear, and she's bitching him out in Japanese! I don't know what she's saying, but it sounds _nasty!_"

Roku scowls as she tries to listen to Chichiri's Girl and follow the onstage action at the same time. "Does it seem like he's about to attack her or anything?"

"No, it's the other way around!! She's giving him holy hell - shit, I feel sorry for the poor puppy boy. I hightailed it outta there when she pulled out The Slipper and started whacking him across the nose!"

"Why doesn't Kagome help him out?"

"Well, Mom's gotten her riled up at Inu-Yasha, too - and now_ she's_ yelling at him, as well. I expect to hear the big "Osuwari" at any moment now!"

"Is Kikyou around there?"

"Nah, she got her creepy fish-insects to float her out of there at the first sign of trouble, same as usual."

Roku is silent for a moment as she watches Mitsukake approach the terrified Tasuki, while Tamahome slides down the outside wall of his room into a seated position and tilts his head back in despair.

She taps her radio headset. " Kaze-chan, bring down the bedchamber lights more so that it goes completely dark--yeah, that's it--and we need a little more juice on Tama's spotlight; good, good…" She turns to Chichiri's Girl. "Look, I've got my hands full here. Why don't you get some help from the Vampire Princess?"

Chichiri's Girl snorts in disgust. "Fuck, she disappeared into the bathroom right at the beginning of this scene. I figure we'll see her again sometime around Chapter 10!"

"Well, then, I'm sorry for Inu-Yasha, but he's on his own. I mean, he's defeated scores of demons in the past--he _ should _be able to face down Mom." She thinks about it a moment. " Nah, maybe not…but in any case, I can't help him right now." Roku frowns. "By the way, whatever triggered Mom to go after him in the first place?"

"Gosh, _look_--your scene is ending! You're going to be awfully busy now, so I'll just run along and catch up with you later, 'kay?"

Chichiri's Girl runs off as Roku glares after her suspiciously.

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

** Part D. Fines and the finer things…**

Everyone exits the set quickly. Chichiri is the last to leave, scooping up his fishing pole and line. As Tasuki heads towards his "dressing screen" wrapped in his blanket, Tamahome takes the opportunity to stomp on the trailing material. The blanket pulls off, and Tasuki leaps for the screen, shrieking curses and threats as Tamahome laughs wildly.

Roku is diverted from the altercation by a tap on her shoulder.

Chichiri stands behind her. "No fish, huh?"

Roku looks confused. "What?"

Chichiri drops a large, squirming trout into her arms, then strolls away to join Mitsukake.

Roku frantically juggles the struggling fish. "Gaaaaaaaahhh! Somebody get me a bucket of water, okay? Pleeeease? _Any_bodyyyy?!" She shouts after the retreating figure of the monk. "Hey, 'Chiri!"

Chichiri turns around but doesn't stop, continuing to walk backwards. "Hai, no da?"

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a smartass magician!"

Chichiri laughs as he moves off into the darkness.

Roku glowers after him. "I'm beginning to suspect that this whole "Method actor" thing is one great big, elaborate..."

Sorceress runs up with a bucket. Roku gratefully dumps the trout in the water. "Thanks, girlfriend!"

Sorceress raises a quizzical eyebrow. "Trout?"

Roku grimaces. "Obviously a running gag among you magicians. No, don't tell me--I'm filing this under 'I don't wanna know.'"

Sorceress laughs, and they run onstage to pull the elaborate set into position. It consists of two levels; the lower level depicting a simple prison cell at center stage, equipped with a long bench. Downstage of the barred door is the prison corridor. The upper level is upstage and consists of a platform that stands approximately seven feet above the stage floor, and spans the entire width of the stage. This level is another recreation of Tamahome's bedchamber, oriented in the same direction as before - but it is narrower, with the downstage edge of the bed nearly at the edge of the platform, as is the bedchamber "door" at stage left. The furniture is intact instead of broken since this scene takes place the night before the previous scene.

Roku and Sorceress pulled the wheeled sections of the platform into position and lock the brakes on the wheels to keep it from moving during the scene. They also lower a gauzy, translucent curtain called a scrim in front of the upper level set. This gives the scene being played on this stage a hazy, dreamlike appearance. The upper level is set upstage of the lower level, so that the two levels can be lighted separately. When unlit, each level becomes invisible in the darkness.

All of the actors return to the wings quickly. Miaka and Nuriko chat quietly, while Tasuki cuffs Tamahome upside the head for his earlier stunt, then runs off to scale the ladder situated at offstage right that leads to the upper level, where he will wait silently until his scene comes up. Both Tamahome and Tasuki are clad in their velcro-seamed "tear-away' clothes, which will enable them to change quickly between scenes.

Sorceress mutters under her breath. "Tamahome and Tasuki in tear-away clothes - sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it?"

Roku is equally quiet but smirking broadly. "Yeah, the must-have Christmas gift of the year for the discriminating woman!"

Roku calls to Kaze-chan on her radio that they're ready. The lights go out on the upper level stage, leaving Tasuki hidden in the darkness, while the lower level cell is lighted in the rosy colors of sunset. Tamahome and Nuriko take their positions in and out of the prison cell, while Miaka crosses to the opposite wing to await her entrance. The curtain rises, and the scene begins.

Tamahome is sitting on the bench with his knees drawn up. "Thirty-seven…"

Roku looks at her watch. "Three and a half minutes total from the last scene to this one--we're getting faster, hurray!"

"Great! We're on our way to minimizing the transition time between scenes."

Roku looks under her brows at her assistant director. "Speaking of transitioning between scenes, did you see what Tama did to Tasuki before?"

"Well, I _tried_ not to look."

"Trying isn't good enough. Pay up!"

"What about _you_?!"

Roku sighs. "I, too, failed to avert my gaze."

The two women each pull out a small notebook, as Aikido-chan walks up. They jump guiltily but relax when they see who it is.

Aikido-chan cranes her neck to see what they're holding. "Hey, whatcha hidin'? You know you can't keep anything from me ever since I found a chapter of White Stones in the office printer! So, c'mon, out with it!"

Roku shrugs in resignation. "Yeah, I have no secrets from you. Well, we're just settling up with each other. You see, we fine ourselves for scoping the bishies: $25 for a rear view, $50 for the front. At the end of the run, we're gonna put the money towards the cast party."

"Whoa! You two are hard on yourselves! What's with the "no-look" policy?"

Sorceress chimes in. "Well, you know, we're supposed to be more mature than the average fangirl. Plus the boys have to feel that they can trust us, otherwise they won't relax around us when I have to apply make-up or when Roku has to set up a nude scene."

Roku sighs. "We call it our exercise in self-discipline."

Aikido-chan looks skeptical. "Hmph! You must be believers in repression paying off in the end. If nothing else, there's going to be one hell of a cast party!"

Roku shakes her head gloomily. "Well, for right now, it feels like we're on the Atkin's diet while touring Willy Wonka's chocolate factory."

Sorceress grins. "Interested in joining our program, Aikido-chan?"

"Hah! Not likely! I'm going to catch Mitsukake naked if it's the last thing I do! And _when_ I do, I'm NOT looking the other way!"

"Mitsukake?"

Aikido-chan gets a dreamy look in her eyes. "Those shoulders! That jawline! Those warm, yet piercing eyessss..."

"Somebody get a bucket of water over here quick! This chick's overheating right in front of us!" Roku yells gleefully--until Sorceress collars her again.

"Okay, Roku, back to the business at hand. $25 added to your tab brings your current balance to $100 even."

"All right then, Sorcie, $25 added to your tab brings your balance to $125!"

Sorceress blushes. "Make it _fifty_."

Roku whistles in admiration. "Damn, girl. You baaaad!"

"Well, I was at a different angle than you were when Tama pulled his stunt! I couldn't help it!"

Aikido elbows Sorceress playfully. "Soooooo... how was the view?"

Roku chimes in. "Fiiiiiine?"

Sorceress is suddenly smirking. "Worth every penny! And then some!"

The three women sigh dreamily.

Roku suddenly returns to reality. "Hey, I just remembered! We're in the middle of a play here!"

A voice comes on in her ear - it's Kryssa, up in the sound booth, linked to Roku by their radio headsets. "Yeah, I was just about to remind you ladies of that little detail. In fact, Kaze-chan and I were getting quite an education listening to you all. We got so absorbed in listening to the perverted fantasies of the "older crowd" that we damn near missed our lighting cues! Good thing that Miaka knows when to make her own entrance - since you all were off in your own hentai world. But I thought I'd let you know, Roku, that your big "choreography" scene in coming up in about thirty seconds!"

Roku winces guiltily. "Ulp! Heheheheh. Thanks, Kris!"

Roku and Sorceress run to the downstage wings to observe the scene, while Aikido-chan returns to her seat.

Meanwhile, the same small figure, unnoticed as before, lowers his videocamera.

Chiriko is gleeful. "Another priceless moment to add to this collection. The Secret Vice of Older Women - Voyeurism! Hah!"

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**Part E. Screams in the dark  
**

The attack scene from "Reprise" has just gotten underway. The rosy "sunset" lights in the cell have been replaced by the bluish tones of twilight, and the "oni" has made his appearance before Nuriko and Miaka. Tamahome's spotlight fades out in the cell, making his body disappear, while the appearance of two small greenish-yellow lights and oni symbol create the impression that the oni still stands within the cell. Nuriko, inside the cell, and Miaka, just outside the bars, remain in soft white spotlights, illuminating them (and their reactions) clearly.

Meanwhile, hidden by the darkness, Tamahome leaves the cell through a rear exit door and rapidly scales the ladder to the upper level stage. Tasuki is waiting for him, clad in the tear-away version of his customary outfit of midnight blue coat, cream breeches and white shirt, with two necklaces and his usual earrings. Tamahome grabs Tasuki by the front of his shirt, and Kryssa brings up the lyrical music of "Sona." The lights go up on the upper stage, bathing the raised set in a soft golden glow. The "mistiness" of the scene is enhanced by the gauzy scrim, which remains in place for the time being. As Tamahome's pre-recorded "oni" voice, enhanced by a reverb effect, describes the first part of his attack on Tasuki, the two young seishi act out a brief fight scene, with Tamahome slamming Tasuki into various pieces of breakaway furniture. They remain silent, appearing to cry out but making no sound. The lyrical music gives their eerily quiet battle the look of a "danse macabre," the two combatants meeting, then breaking away, then meeting yet again in a ballet of shocking violence.

Nuriko and Miaka still stand in the downstage set, each in profile, watching the fight scene on the upper stage, their faces reflecting their horror. Tamahome finally slams Tasuki against a table, the edge catching Tasuki against his lower back. Tasuki's legs collapse at that point, so that Tamahome is forced to hold him up by his shoulders. The upper stage light suddenly goes out, leaving the two in darkness.

The "oni's voice comes back in, prerecorded and enhanced with a reverb effect. "Let me tell you, it took some skill on my part to beat that bandit boy so as to cripple him, but not to the point of unconsciousness. Where would be the fun in that? I wanted him awake and aware of what was going to happen to him..." The oni sighs happily.

Miaka starts forward impulsively and clenches her fists. Nuriko looks from her to the "oni eyes," his eyes switching back and forth between the two while his body drops into a fighting stance.

The lights suddenly go on in the upper stage again. Tasuki is now pinned beneath Tamahome in the bed, his coat and boots gone and his shirt torn open. He suddenly pushes Tamahome back and, with his seishi speed, is almost instantly at the chamber door.

The oni's voice is low and vicious. "Ah, but I had other weapons... I warned him that if he ran, I would be in the priestess' chambers in a flash, and that I would take her before he could even summon help. And then I would visit the newest seishi, that child, and teach HIM a thing or two about pain!"

Tasuki, at the door, turns around slowly... then suddenly leaps at Tamahome again. The lights go out once again.

The oni laughs triumphantly. "He actually believed me! I couldn't be less interested in you, priestess, nor in that child; you're too easy to break, no challenge at all." The voice drops to a seductive purr. "No, it was _him_ I wanted all along!"

The lights illuminate the upper stage again. Tasuki is tied to the bed with the "shirt", now clad only in his drawstring trousers and jewelry. He is struggling wildly, as the figure of Tamahome, also clad in trousers only, leans over him at the bedside. His back is towards the audience, partially blocking their view of Tasuki.

The oni's tale continues. "You're probably wondering why no one heard his struggles or cries - or why your monk didn't pick up on the disturbance in his ki. Well, I have a few powers that include shields and barriers...but that's all you need to know about that."

Immediately following those lines, Kaze-chan turns on thin green laser beams which shine down around the young men like the bars of a cell, further obscuring the audience's view of Tasuki. They can only dimly see the figure of Tamahome as he grasps the waistband of Tasuki's trousers and strips him in one swift movement.

Miaka cries out involuntarily, and Nuriko leaps forward at the green "oni eyes" in the cell, just as the lights go out on the upper stage again.

Nuriko hisses in fury. _"Teme!_ You _ bastard_, you dared...!"

The oni sneers. "Now, now, do you really want to injure your Tama-chan? Remember, whatever you do to me, you do to Tamahome."

Nuriko snarls but backs away, his fists clenched in rage. Tears begin to run down Miaka's face.

The oni continues in a conversational tone. "You know, you would think that he would be completely at my mercy at this point, tied up and helpless in my grasp.--but Tasuki is a lot brighter than he appears. Can you believe that he almost escaped from me again? And you wouldn't believe how. He started calling out,''Sou Kishuku' over and over. 'Sou Kishuku, Suzaku no seishi', 'Kishuku, my brother warrior.' And it actually worked! I felt myself being shoved down, pushed aside… That bastard Tamahome took himself back just as I was on the verge of fulfilling my desires!"

The lights come up on the upper stage. Tamahome, illuminated in the green spotlight, is lying on top of Tasuki, who has his face turned away, towards upstage. Suddenly, the green spotlight goes out, replaced by a soft white light. The music has reached the lyrical bridge in "Sona" and the female lead's voice is melodic, hopeful. Tamahome shakes his head in confusion - and startles to find himself on top of Tasuki. He tries to crawl off him, but his movements are slow and unsteady, as if he were drugged. Tasuki turns his face towards Tamahome and appears to be pleading with him.

Tamahome hesitantly crawls forward over Tasuki, reaching out to wrestle with the knotted material around Tasuki's wrists. He leans forward to try another angle--then pauses and looks down into Tasuki's face, which is turned up to his in hope. Tamahome brings a hand up to his head in confusion--and the oni's voice is heard again.

The oni purrs sensuously. "_That_ was his fatal mistake. Tamahome looked down into that bruised, beautiful face, saw the tears sparkling on the dark lashes, felt the warmth and hardness of the body beneath him…and just for a moment, for the tiniest, briefest breath of time…" He pauses, then continues silkily, "...he felt _desire_ for Tasuki." The voice rises in exultation. "And that was all I needed to take him over again!"

On the upper stage, the green spotlight flares brightly on Tamahome's form again. His hands drop away from the knots, and Tasuki looks into his face in confusion--and suddenly the lights go out.

The oni's laughter echoes through the theatre. " I let Tasuki have another five seconds of thinking he was going to escape - and then I retied him tighter than before! Oh, how he wrenched at his bonds! And that look of betrayal - it was _ intoxicating!_ I couldn't hold back any longer!"

The music swells, the female lead's voice rising in urgency. As she reaches the high note, Tasuki's voice is heard for the first time, joining with hers as he screams, "_Noooooooooooo!"_

Nuriko leaps forward into the shadows, towards the "oni" eyes. "MIAKA! Get OUT! Get _out NOW!"_Miaka stumbles back, falling down, sobbing openly. The music changes, with the male chorus now coming in, the minor key of the melody sounding almost like a lament. The lights come on in the upper level stage once again - but this time, the scrim is gone, the scene now clear, sharp-edged and harsh.

Tasuki thrashes in the bed, yanking desperately at his bonds, but able to kick only weakly. Tamahome kneels above him in the bed, a greenish-yellow spotlight shining down on him, reflecting off his eyes and oni symbol.

Once again, Tasuki cries out.in desperation. "Tama, don't go! Come back!" He begins sobbing. "Don't leave me... _please_... DON'T _LEAVE_ MEEEEEEEE!"

Tamahome surges forward and grasps Tasuki's necklaces, breaking them so that the beads scatter, flashing as they fall through the light. At this point, the ambient room lights and the greenish spotlight go out completely, and the forms of both men disappear in the darkness. Only the white spotlight stays lit, shining in a tight beam on Tasuki's hands as they continue to twist frantically within his bonds.

Tasuki's voice is heard again, reaching a pitch that no one on the crew has ever heard before. "Nooooooooo! STOP IT!" He is now shrieking. "What are you _doing_?! You _BASTARD!_ Stop DOING THAT! STOP IT! NOOOOOOO! _NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" _

The white spotlight suddenly goes out, leaving the audience with the last image of his hands as they wrench desperately at the ties. Tasuki's screams are cut off simultaneously with the light, as if someone had placed a hand over his mouth.

Roku-chan grasps the curtain, her knees weak. Sorceress catches her by the elbow.

She is pale but gritting her teeth." Come on now, Roku - it's only make-believe, remember?"

Roku raises haunted eyes. "I know, but...but...Dear God in heaven, he _never_ screamed like that during rehearsals!"

Sorceress stammers, seeking a rational explanation. "He's just an excellent actor, that's all; he was just saving it for opening night, right?"

Roku shudders but forces herself under control. The lights come up on Nuriko and Miaka on the lower level. Tamahome is back with them, fully dressed, lit once again in the green spotlight and smirking triumphantly. Nuriko looks pale and horrified, while Miaka is distraught, sobbing raggedly and biting down on her clenched fists. Roku suspects that this emotional display isn't all due to good acting.

Tamahome's voice is still on reverb, but he is now speaking 'live.' "Gods, he tasted of _heaven! _And oh, the feel of him, the hardness of him in my hands - and the _despair_ in his eyes as he climaxed in my embrace! He wanted _me_ as much as I wanted _ him!_" He shouts in ecstasy. "He _WANTED_ it, I tell you!"

Nuriko suddenly explodes, leaping at Tamahome and shoving him against the cell wall, placing his gauntleted arm across Tama's throat. His eyes burn with rage so real that Roku is frightened. "Shut up, _shut up, SHUT UP!"_

Roku prays under her breath. "Oh, God, Nuriko, don't get carried away and kill Tama!"

Sure enough, real panic begins to show in Tamahome's eyes as he struggles for breath. The bluish tint in his lips finally brings Nuriko back to reality, and his eyes widen in dismay as he releases some of the pressure on Tamahome's throat and finally continues with his scripted actions, slapping a piece of paper representing the demon warding over Tamahome's oni symbol. The green spotlight goes out, replaced with a soft blue light, making the players appear to stand in the blue glow of twilight.

Tamahome, coughing, turns his eyes towards Miaka, standing downstage with her hands over her mouth, looking stricken. "Miaka?"

She turns and runs offstage, straight into Roku and Sorceress. Her knees give out, but they catch her and steady her.

Miaka is very white. "Oh, gods, I think I'm going to be sick."

Roku lowers her gently to the floor. "Here, put your head down between your knees... Sorcie, get her a glass of water, quick, okay?"

Sorceress runs off. Miaka is still trembling and tears continue to fall from her eyes.

Roku kneels before Miaka and grasps her hand, speaking softly. "Hey, kid, it's not real, remember? Everything's okay; everything's all right."

Miaka looks up with a trembling smile. "I know...and I don't mean to be so stupid! It's just that he _made_ it so real; more so than it's ever been in rehearsal! Just for a moment, his screams…it was so goddamn _real!"_

Roku, knowing that Miaka's swearing is a red flag for the amount of stress the young woman is feeling, pulls her into a quick hug. She notes that Nuriko and Tamahome are also ending the scene in an embrace and that the curtain is coming down.

She turns back to the young actress. "Listen, you're not stupid! Far from it, in fact. I had the exact same reaction as you did, and I wasn't even on stage! So just take all this trauma and turmoil and _use_ it in the next scene, okay? In the meantime, I'm running upstairs to untie the one who put us all through this," she grumbles, "and I don't know whether to kiss him or kill him!"

Miaka smiles weakly, as Sorceress runs up with the water. Miaka sips it gratefully and seems calmer. Roku gets up and peeks out at the white-faced, stunned audience. Audible sobs can be heard from some individuals.

Roku frowns. "Hey, Sorcie, no one's applauding!"

The assistant director rolls her eyes. "Seriously, Roku, do you _want_ the type of audience that would applaud a scene like that? What do you want them to say - More, More?!"

"Heh, heh - guess not..."

Meanwhile, out in the audience...

Tomo leans towards Nakago. "Interesting, ne, Nakago-sama?" He stares. "Er, Nakago-sama, are you all right? You're very pale!"

"Shut up."

Soi places a hand on his arm. "Hai, that painted idiot is right for once, Lord Nakago. You don't look well."

Nakago snarls. "Don't touch me, either..."

He pulls back into his seat, seeming to retreat into himself, his eyes dark and distant. Tomo and Soi exchange puzzled glances over his head.

Once the curtain is safely down, Roku sprints across to stage right and rapidly climbs the ladder to the upper level stage. Tamahome and Nuriko follow her. Tasuki is still tied to the bed, lying quietly, half-covered by the sheet.

Roku runs up and begins untying him. "Geez, Gen-chan, that was one hell of a performance! Man, you nearly gave me a heart attack, and I'm the one who wrote this shit! The whole audience is about ready to pass out from shock!"

She stops as Tasuki turns his face towards her.

He has tear-streaks on his face and appears to have bitten his lip. "That _bastard!_ That son-of-a-_bitch_...that fucking ASSHOLE!"

Tamahome begins laughing. Roku turns white, and she and Nuriko turn to stare at Tamahome in shock.

Roku chokes in disbelief. "Tama...what in the seven hells did you _do_ to him?!"

Tamahome leans down and pulls something out from under the bed. He triumphantly displays two ostrich feathers before their stunned gazes.

Tamahome smirks. "It's all your fault, Madam Director! _You_ were the one who showed me that Tasuki was ticklish - and I decided to help him out with expressing himself realistically! Hah! Good job, or what?!"

Roku holds her hands up to her temples in despair. "Boy Blue - you obviously have no clue how absolutely twisted and _kinky _this looks! Thank God we don't have any reporters on the set right now; we'd be sunk!"

Nuriko is laughing. "Good God, Tama-chan, that's a trick that's nearly worthy of me! I gotta say, you're beginning to impress me."

Tasuki snarls as he frees his hands from the loosened ties. "You wanna be impressed? How about I impress _both_ of you--with a perfect impression of my _fists?!_" He leaps off the bed and begins chasing them down the ladder.

Roku shouts after him. "Tasu_kiiii!_ You forgot your _robe!"_ She sighs in aggravation. "Shit! There goes another $25! And when he runs past Sorcie, she's gonna end up having to cash in one of her savings accounts! Damn it, Aikido-chan was right--with this gang, it's gonna be end up being one hell of a cast party!"

Roku climbs down the ladder, still clutching Tasuki's robe, and passes by Sorceress and the just-returned Chichiri's Girl, giggling as they pull the next set into place and attach water lines and drain tubes to the bath.

Roku scowls at her tech crew. "Yeah, laugh now, Sorcie--and pay later!"

Sorceress smirks and sticks her tongue out at the director. Roku trudges wearily towards the shrieking brawl going on backstage, muttering to herself as to how she's going to get Tasuki back into the proper mindset for the next scene.

In the shadows, a small figure smirks as he reviews his newly shot footage on the videocamera's tiny viewscreen. "Yes, Roku, you were right to be upset over Tamahome-kun's trick. And now I have it captured on film - The Kinky Bedroom Secrets of Fushigi Yuugi's Newest Couple! Plus, Nuriko Joins In! Hotohori's Heartbreak!"

Chiriko laughs gleefully and runs off.

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**  
**

**New Author's Notes: (9-16-04) ** So the re-formatting continues, slowly but surely. Only 10 more chapters to go before I'm all caught up. - -;; And to make this even more fun, this site is doing weird freakin' things to my HTML uploads, so that I have to make corrections in the base HTML code. Hey, it's not like I have anything else important to do in my life, eh? :P But I must soldier on if I'm ever to put up Chapter 14 of Casting Stones on this site. Till next time, minna! Ja ne!

**Original Author's Notes: (6-26-02)** Bwahahahahahaha! The Evil Roku has struck again and produced a chapter of nearly 8000 words!!! Gaaaaaaahhh! I am merciless and cruel to my faithful friends and readers! Will I change?? Not a chance! Anyway, you may blame the constant breakdowns of for giving me extra time to write extra words!!

Quick thanks to Aikido-chan and Sorceress for their input on their lines in Part D. Also thanks to Chichiri's Girl for reading through this chapter - and getting scared out of her socks before she realized what exactly Tama had done to Tasuki in the last scene. Whoo!

Hmmmmmm, not much to say for once. (Roku's readers fall over in disbelief.) No, really… only that I'm leaving for a scientific conference in Utah on Friday and will be out of touch for the next 7-10 days. But! But, but, but… I very nearly have the first chapter of my Chichiri fic done! I'll work on it while in Utah and hopefully have it up by the second week of July!!!

Nor will I forget about "Casting Stones." Next time - some beautiful scenes to make up for the ugly ones in this chapter. And I think Chao-chan may be making her first move with Nakago's whip - yes, I definitely feel that one coming!

Ja ne, minna… and Happy Fourth!

Roku


	4. True Confessions

Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. The characters from Inuyasha are the creations and property of Rumiko Takahashi and related enterprises. I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

On the other hand, the original characters Mom and Dad are my original creations and they belong to me, as do other assorted family members. So do the original plotline and plot devices _AND_ the text, goshdangit! As for the reviewers and fanfic authors in this fic—they belong to themselves! But I get to "borrow" them for the duration of this fic…with their misguided permission, of course.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:** To any newcomers to Casting Stones: This is Chapter Fourteen, not Chapter Four of this story. For reasons explained in the ending author's notes, I'm not permitted to post the intervening chapters 4-13 on this site. To those who wish to read those chapters, they are posted on the Fanficrefugees site listed on my author profile page. Thank you.

/-/-/-/

**Chapter 14. True Confessions **

**Part A. What Guys Talk About**

Roku scowls after the retreating figure of Chichiri, repressing the childish (and frighteningly familial) urge to throw her shoe at him. However, she's distracted, as always, by the continual task of keeping the play running, now made even more complicated with a giant, missile-sized hole in the middle of the stage floor.

She claps her hands for attention. "Sorceress! CG! Aikido-chan! Kris!"

Her crew appears, flinching only slightly at the powder-blackened, straggle-haired appearance of their director, currently masquerading as Taiitsukun's twin.

Roku notes a missing crew member. "Hey, where's Kris? Don't tell me that she's still dazed from the missile attack; it was only one of Chichiri's illusions! Um, except for the fact that he blew up the stage, eheh."

Sorceress shakes her head. "No, she's fine now. She just ran up to the booth to replace Kaze-chan. Remember that you promised Kaze some time backstage?"

As if on cue, the erstwhile lighting tech appears, grinning at the battered-looking appearance of the Director. Trailing her is a medium height teenaged girl of about age seventeen with startlingly blue eyes.

Kaze-chan gives Roku a smart-assed grin. "Lookin' good, Roku. Been hangin' with the 'Extreme Makeover' crowd, eh? The gunpowder's a fashionable touch."

"Don't start with me, chicka. I may not have time to deal with you now, but you know what they say about not getting mad… And I'll bet that white-haired boy of yours would consider gunpowder a kinky new look for Taiitsukun."

Kaze-chan glares at the reminder of Tokaki's unfortunate obsession, while Roku notices her seemingly shy companion.

"What's this, Kaze? Taken up collecting little sisters or fangirls or somethin'?"

"Nope. Dee-chan here is an aspiring stage crew member at her school, and I promised I'd show her the ropes on the real deal. Of course, this is the first chance I had to bring her backstage, considering that this is pretty much the first time you've let _me_ out of the booth."

"Ah, quitcher bitchin', Kaze, and hand over the fresh meat." Roku extends a hand to Dee-chan. "Welcome aboard, chibi. Have fun, try not to get killed, and steer clear of the pervs."

Kaze-chan smirks. "That means that she'd better stay away from _you."_

Dee-chan politely greets the other crew members while Roku widens her eyes innocently.

"Who, moi? I'll have you know that I'm the poster child for propriety and good taste. But anyhow, it's time for shows, rolling, and the shortest point between."

She turns back to the rest of the crew. "Let's see how much we can get done in the next five. Gotta get the Shrine of Suzaku set up, and the actors ready in the wings…"

There is a chorus of protests.

Aikido-chan waves for attention. "Look, Roku, I know a little about carpentry, and that floor is going to take a lot more than five minutes to repair…"

Sorceress chimes in. "Plus we need Chichiri back here for the next scene, not to mention Mitsukake and Tasuki."

The director frowns. "I thought I saw Mits hanging around here a moment ago."

Chichiri's Girl speaks up. "Yeah, he's here, but the question is who's gonna snap him out of his post-violence orgasmic daydream? He's still sitting on what's left of the stage, humming to himself and grinning at nothing."

Everyone's eyes turn to Aikido-chan, who bristles defensively. "What? What do you expect me to do?"

Chichiri's Girl grins slyly. "Well, the best way to divert a man from one obsession is to provide him with a different but equally interesting obsession."

"I don't know what you're talking about! There's nothing going on between us!"

Roku assumes a businesslike tone. "Of course not. No one's implying that, Aikido-chan. I'm just assigning you to make sure he knows his next scene…you know, run some lines and stuff?"

She shoves a script at Aikido-chan, avoiding the other woman's suspicious glare, then turns back to the rest of the crew. "Okay, CG, start clearing up some of the movable pieces of debris, and Sorceress, is Tasuki on his way yet?"

Sorceress clicks her cell phone shut. "I can't reach him. He's not answering the phone in his dressing room."

"Um, what about Miaka's room?"

"Just talked to her—she hasn't seen him for the past half hour."

Nuriko pauses while wandering by. "Are you looking for Tasuki?"

Roku looks up eagerly. "Yeah, have you seen him?"

"No, but I knocked on Tama-chan's door, and he told me that Tasuki was in his room. Told me to get lost, too, though not in so many words."

"Oh,_ shit!_ Something about that sounds wrong!"

Nuriko shakes his head. "I thought so myself. Why is it that I'm always the last to know about the closeted ones?"

"Gah, that's not what I meant! I'd better run over there….damn it, there's too much that needs to be done here! Listen, Kaze-chan, you and the newest stage hand go find Chichiri—he's supposed to be cleaning his face—and make him repair the stage and get ready for his big scene. Sorceress, you're Director until I get back with Tasuki, got it? The rest of you follow her instructions. Gotta run!"

The Director sprints towards the greenroom, as the others bustle off to their assigned tasks. Dee-chan tugs at Kaze's sleeve.

"I don't know; Roku doesn't seem as deranged as you said she was. Except for the costume…and the face…and the, uh, gunpowder. Oh, maybe the hair, too."

Kaze-chan assumes an evil expression. "Oh, ye of untainted innocence and unsuspecting nature, what horrors lie before you!" She drops the gothic tone in favor of efficiency. "In the meantime, though, we'd better find Chichiri. I'll check his dressing room and you check other places where men gather, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, okay. Oh. Ohhhhhhh. Um…all right, I guess."

Meanwhile, the other missing seishi is whistling happily after his fifth glass of spiked Gatorade, lolling on Tamahome's couch with his feet up on the wall and his head hanging off the edge.

He squints at his fuming companion, and snickers. "Hey, Tamaaaaaa…ya look like an asshole, sittin' there upside-down!"

Tamahome grabs Tasuki and roughly shoves him upright again.

"You're the asshole who's upside-down! Can't you just sit still and answer the damn question?"

Tasuki frowns foggily. "Uh, I dunno. What were we talkin' 'bout again?"

"For the tenth time, w_omen!_ Women who are _not_ your mother or sisters! I'm sick of hearing about your mother and sisters!" Tamahome struggles to get himself back under control. "I mean, there must be _some_ woman that you like, right, Tasuki?"

"Nope!"

"What about, um, Roku?"

"Dickhead! She's not a woman—she's a _friend!_" Tasuki shakes his head at Tamahome's stupidity.

"Fine! Okay! Then what about _other_ friends? That are female? Like, um, Miaka?"

"Ahhhhhhh, Miaka. Yeah, Miaka." Tasuki smiles dreamily. "Whoa, Miaka!"

Tamahome's eyes narrow. "What do you mean by, 'Whoa, Miaka'?"

Tasuki closes his eyes and cups his hands in front of his chest. "She has the most…the _most_…"

"The _most_ what?"

Tasuki opens his eyes again at Tama's strained tone. "What?"

"You said she has the most…_something_, and I want to know what!"

"Who?"

Tamahome grits his teeth. "Miaka! Has the most…"

"What?"

"Damn it! What you were talking about! _Miaka!"_

Tasuki begins to snivel. "I ain't talkin' to ya no more! You're all mad an' shit, an' that means you're gonna hit me, an' I don't like it! I can take it like a man, but that don't mean I like it! I ain't one of those masho…masco…maso…fuckin' assholes who like ta get hit!"

Tamahome tries to calm him down. "Look, Tasuki, I'm not mad at you."

"Yes, you are! Your thingy…" Tasuki taps his forehead, "is all glowy red, an' that means that you're all pissed off an' you're gonna hit me!"

"I'm not going to hit you!"

"Then why is your oni sign all lit up? Unless…" Tasuki's eyes widen. "Ohhhhhh no! Oh no, ya don't! I ain't inta that! You want some action, you go after Nuriko or somebody _else_ who swings that way!"

Tamahome is trying hard not to succumb to the urge to strangle Tasuki. "Listen, you asshole, I'm not into that either! I JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU!"

Tasuki is back to snivelling. "Then why are ya shoutin'? An' glowin'?"

"_Gaaarrrrgggghh!"_

Tamahome storms off towards his closet, looking desperately for a cap or anything to pull over his forehead. Finally he grabs a black tie and ties it around his head, concealing his oni symbol before stomping back to Tasuki—who is once again lolling on the couch, this time holding his hands up in the air and staring at them in awe.

"Okay, see? I'm not mad at you anymore! So talk!"

Tasuki is distracted. "Yeah, okay. Look here, Tama: when I hold my hands like this and stare past 'em, it looks like I got six fingers on each hand. See? Come over here an' look!"

Tamahome leaps at Tasuki and pins his hands over his head. "Goddamn it, I don't give a good goddamn about your hands! I WANT YOU TO—!"

At that moment, his dressing room door slams open, revealing Roku in all her Toasted Taiitsukun glory. She takes in the sight of Tamahome on top of Tasuki, wearing what appears to be a black headband while pinning Tasuki to the couch—and freaks out.

"AIIIIII_EEEEEEEE!_ EVIL TAMAHOMEEEEEEEEE!"

The two seishi scream in response. "AIIIIIII_EEEEEEEE! _SUNAKAKE-BA_BAAAAAA!"_

They cling to each other as Roku leaps at them, trying to pull Tamahome off Tasuki. "Get off him, get off _him!"_

Tamahome and Tasuki are wailing. "Get offa us, _get offa US!"_

They roll back and forth on the couch, wrestling and screaming in a confused tangle. Finally Roku gets one leg over Tamahome, pinning him.

Tamahome shrieks. "It's my worst nightmare! Sunakake-babaa is trying to have sex with meeeeeeeee!"

Once again, Tamahome's dressing room door slams open. Tokaki stands in the doorway, breathing heavily. "What's all this talk about sex? And why wasn't I invited?"

He catches sight of Roku straddling Tamahome, who is sprawled on top of Tasuki. "Why, you bawdy little strumpet! You wanton little tart! Using the excuse of being the Controller of the Universe to act virtuous, all the while having orgies with the Suzaku losers! How dare you cheat on me?"

The three combatants stop wrestling for one moment to stare at Tokaki. "What the _HELL_ are you _talking_ about?"

Tokaki points an accusing finger. "It's not right! It's not fair! Why are the Suzaku shitheads the only ones who get to have sex? The rest of us celestial warriors deserve a turn, too!" His expression softens into lustful tenderness. "Especially with a delectable little creampuff like her."

Roku is irritated. "How many times do I hafta keep _telling_ you? I'm not Taiitsukun, I'm Ro—"

At that moment, Tamahome shoves a cushion into her face, shutting her up. "Listen, Oshou, you want her, you take her! I wouldn't dream of standing in the way of my master. Go ahead and take her _now!"_

Tokaki grins triumphantly. "That's exactly what I intend to do! Move over!"

Pulling his shirt off, he leaps into the fray, sending the abused couch crashing to the floor.

/-/-/-/

**Part B. What Monks Talk About **

In a somewhat quieter part of the theatre, Apprentice Crew Member Dee-chan is on the lookout for the missing monk—an assignment that agrees with her, since Chichiri is her favorite bishie. Having checked the greenroom and such, she's now at the last place he might be…and the one place she can't enter.

So she hovers anxiously near the men's room door, pushing her medium-brown hair out of her eyes as she tries to decide on her next move. "Let's see. Can't go in for obvious reasons. Can't hang around out here forever, either, without looking like a professional—or a perv. So my best bet would be to…."

Right then, the door swings open, and Mitsukake looms into view. Behind him, the door closes only partially, leaving a thin opening through which Dee-chan can catch smatterings of conversation. She approaches Mitsukake as he looks around for his line partner, Aikido-chan.

"Excuse me, Mitsukake-san, but have you seen Chichiri-san anywhere? Roku sent me to look for him, and I…"

"As a matter of fact, he's in the men's room, doing what you ladies call 'freshening up.'"

Dee-chan fights back a grimace at her involuntary mental picture of Chichiri applying mascara and powdering his nose. "Thank you very much, Mitsukake-san. Would it be all right if I wait for him here?"

Mitsukake waves an expansive hand as he leans against the wall on the left side of the men's room door. "Take all the corridor you need. It might be a minute or so, however, since Chichiri was chatting with a friend when I left." He smiles ironically. "But if it's any comfort, I'll entertain you with my scintillating personality while you wait. I've promised Aikido-chan that I would stay around here until she brings another copy of the script."

Dee-chan isn't sure how to respond to Mits' self-deprecating humor, so she merely smiles and bows slightly before taking up a position to the right of the door. While searching her mind for something witty to say to Mits, she can't help overhearing snatches of conversation from the men's room.

An unfamiliar man's voice speaks up. "Ne, I think it's true. Yours is slightly longer than mine."

Dee-chan fights back a smirk. "Got to get my mind out of the gutter. Just because this is a men's bathroom doesn't mean that they're talking about—"

To her shock, she hears Chichiri reply in kind.

"Perhaps, but length doesn't matter. I have to say that you have a particularly nice shaft."

Dee-chan flushes red and glances over at Mitsukake to see his expression. However, he's leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and arms crossed, apparently oblivious to the world.

The man's voice drifts out again. "Thank you. It's nice to know that _someone_ appreciates it; it's not as if I get any complimentary remarks from my companions. I have to let you know, though, that you have a very interesting head on yours; it looks almost heart-shaped."

Chichiri replies. "Let me see…oh, yes, yours is different, but that rounded shape looks very nice."

"Would you mind if I touch yours?"

"Touch it? Why don't you go ahead and hold it?" Chichiri laughs. "But only if I get to hold yours in return."

Dee-chan is turning bright scarlet. "Ack! Gack! Aaaaaagggghhh!"

Chichiri sounds mischievous now. "Why don't we go out there and see if anyone notices that we're holding each other's instead of—?"

There is the shuffle of soft footsteps, and the door begins to creak open.

Dee-chan breaks down, wailing. "_No!_ No, I can't stand to see this! My fantasy life has been _shattered!"_

She bolts off down the corridor just as Chichiri and Miroku exit the men's room, each holding the other's shakujou on his shoulder. The two monks stare in shock after the shrieking teen girl.

"What's with her?"

Mitsukake opens his eyes and shrugs. "A tragic case of terminal filthy mind, I'm afraid. By the way, Chichiri, Roku would like you to repair the stage; it'll make it that much easier to play the next scene if I don't keep falling through to the theatre basement."

"No problem. However, I didn't notice you complaining when I blasted the stage in the first place."

Mitsukake smirks. "True. I have to admit to a soft spot in my heart for missile launchers."

Miroku clears his throat. "Well, I should return to the balcony. Sango must be missing me terribly by now. In fact, it might be best if I gave her a little of my special TLC right when I get back." He flexes his uncursed hand as he moves off.

"Wait, Miroku!" Chichiri holds out the shakujou so that its rings chime musically. "You forgot your staff!"

The two monks laugh as they exchange shakujous once again.

/-/-/-/

**Part C. What Girls Talk About **

Meanwhile, the traumatized Apprentice Crew Member is staggering down the corridor past the dressing rooms.

"I did _not_ just hear what I thought I heard. No. No way. I've worked on high school shows, and even at that level, it's complicated enough not to have time for sexual perversions. Not during the performance, anyway. So I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear anything, and just do my best to learn as much as I can from Roku and her crew, and…"

Dee-chan trails off as she hears screaming and shouting from behind one of the dressing room doors. The door is slightly ajar, so she hesitantly pushes it open, only to see—

A tangle of people in a kind of perverted conga line. Tasuki is clinging desperately to the broken remnants of the couch, Tamahome is behind him, hanging onto his shoulders, Roku is pulling at Tamahome, and a shirtless Tokaki has Roku around the waist as he grinds his pelvis enthusiastically intio her bustled Taiitsukun skirt.

It's too much for the young girl. "AAAACCCKKKK! My eyes, MY _EYES!"_

She runs screaming out of the backstage area. "I'm too young for this! I QUIT! No internship is worth this! I'm going back to Kansas RIGHT _NOW!"_

Unaware of the exodus of their latest crew member, Roku curses and shoves back against Tokaki, trying to get enough leverage to pull Tamahome off Tasuki. Unfortunately, Tokaki takes this as encouragement and surges forward, unbalancing Roku, who crashes into Tama and sends all of them sprawling in a screaming, cursing heap—especially Tasuki, who ends up on the bottom, face-to-face with Tama.

Tasuki's face takes on a distinct greenish hue. "Oh, gods, urp! I think I'm gonna, urg, gonnaaaa…"

Tamahome screams. "Get off, get off! He's gonna blow!"

"So much for the hype about the sexual prowess of the Suzaku seishi," Tokaki snorts in contempt. "How can you expect to satisfy a sumptuous woman like this if you can't even last five minutes?"

Roku's pissed. "You idiot! He means that he's about to blow _chunks!_ Get OFFA US! And that thing that's poking me in the backside? It had _better_ not be what I think it is!"

Tokaki backs away from Roku and raises both hands, grinning. Roku and Tamahome scramble off Tasuki, who is panting shallowly.

Roku looks around desperately. "Is there a bowl or a basin around here?"

Tasuki waves a hand weakly. "Nah, nah, I'm okay now." He takes another look at Roku's face. "On second thought, urrp…"

Tamahome pushes Roku away. "It's your face that's making him sick, Taiitsukun! Better dematerialize now!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm ROKU! _Roku,_ not Taiitsukun, you idiot!"

She begins pulling off the latex jowls attached to her face.

Tokaki scowls. "Listen, my luscious love-muffin, far be it from me to criticize your personal habits, but it's a bit daunting to the romantic mood when you remove pieces of your face in public."

It's the last straw for Roku. "Get OUT! Get out, _get out, GET OUT!"_

"Now, Cupcake, I never meant to—"

Roku deliberately looks past his shoulder. "Oh, hi, Subaru. How long have you been standing there?"

Just as Roku hoped, Tokaki vanishes, teleporting before realizing that the doorway is empty.

She sighs in relief. "Thought he'd never leave. Now can anyone explain why it smells like a distillery in here?" Roku leans in and sniffs at Tasuki. "Oh. My. God. You've been _drinking!"_

Tasuki pulls himself to his feet, the picture of wounded dignity. "I most certainly have not. I highly resent the implication that I would betray your trust. The only libations I have partaken of are bottled water and a few glasses of Gatorade. Tamahome will attest to that."

Roku starts shrieking. "Oh my _GOD!_ He's using multisyllabic words and enunciating clearly! He _never_ does that unless he's shit-faced to the max!" She advances menacingly on Tamahome. "What the hell have you done to him?"

Tamahome crosses his arms and juts out his chin. "Maybe I've just been looking for some answers—answers that _no one_ around here seems to want to give me."

Roku stares him down, too furious to feel guilty. "Well, I've got some answers for you right now! You're _grounded,_ young man! You can damn well sit in this room and think over what you've done, until I send someone to get you for the next scene!"

"Fine with me! I don't have anything to say to any of you, anyway. Anymore!"

"Fine with me as well! Now all I have to do is figure out how to get my shit-faced lead actor through the next scene without him barfing or falling down on the set!"

Roku drags Tasuki out of Tamahome's room, slamming the door on her way out.

The redhead protests. "I resent that slur against my sobriety and competence. I resent…"

"Oh, shut up already! I need help, and fast! Chi_chiriiiiIIIIIIII!"_

Three minutes and one startled monk later, Roku is standing in the wings, back in her usual clothes, using a mineral oil-soaked rag to remove the last of her Taiitsukun latex make-up, as Sorceress supervises the rapid assembly of the Shrine of Suzaku set on the newly repaired stage. The Shrine set stands behind a curtain depicting the outer balconies of the Imperial Palace, where Tasuki and Mitsukake will open the scene on the downstage apron with their conversation about Miaka. That is, if Tasuki is sober enough to remember his lines. Luckily, Mitsukake, ever the competent and timely actor, is already onstage waiting for his cue.

The Director throws the makeup rag away as Sorceress rejoins her in the wings. "Do you know if Chichiri is done with Tasuki yet? As soon as they get back, I have to signal Kris to raise the curtain."

"I think they're on their way."

Neither woman notices Tasuki approaching from behind some upstage props.

Roku rubs her temples. "God, as if I didn't have enough problems, now I've got Tamahome breathing fire in his dressing room. How the hell did he catch on, anyway? I thought we were being careful!"

"Look, Roku, Tamahome's a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. With all that's happened here tonight, count yourself lucky that he decided on the indirect approach instead of punching Tasuki's lights out."

"Oh, he's still up for that, hic. The only thing that's holding him back is that he's not one-hundred-_hic_-percent certain of what's going on. Could be a lot worse too, if he decided to try truth serum on Tasuki instead of the less reliable alcohol approach, hic. Imagine Tasuki, hic, under the influence of truth serum!"

Behind them, Tasuki suddenly stops as if struck. A blue light runs along the edges of his form as he stands transfixed in place. The light coalesces at the top of his head, flashing once in his eyes before disappearing.

Sorceress shrugs. "Would we even be able to tell? Tasuki's not usually the type to beat around the bush when he has something to say." She stops and squints at Roku. "Hey, have you got those damn hiccups again?"

"No, I can't! Not now! Dammit, I don't have time for this! But wait…" Roku takes a deep breath. "I don't _think_ I have them. Are you sure that you heard me hiccup?"

"Not really. Maybe you were just talking fast, in your usual 'gotta make up time!' way."

"Probably. I just can't help wishing that we _did_ have a little more of that time stuff…but then, that's been a one-note song with me all night, hasn't it?" Roku fakes a cheerful grin. "But hey, as long as I'm wishing for six impossible things before breakfast, why don't I wish for a miraculous, non-liposuction, non-South-Beach-Diet butt reduction?"

Sorceress plays along. "Well, while you're asking, be sure to request a thigh tightener for me that doesn't involve twenty-odd hours of aerobics each week."

"Shit, you don't need anything, girl! I'm keeping my own wishes for my _own_ waistline, got it?"

Suddenly a shadow falls across them. They look up to see Tasuki towering over them, a scowl darkening his features.

"Do you have any idea of how _sick_ I am of hearin' you dipshit women talk about stuff like that? It drives me an' every other guy I know fuckin' _nuts!_ Yap, yap, yap—" He puts on a phony falsetto. "Oh, I wish I was a size zero! Oh, I can't eat carbs, so please take the bread basket away! No, I'll just have fuckin' lemon juice on my salad instead'a dressing! Oh, I wanna have my back ribs stickin' out like a fuckin' bone xylophone, 'cause I wanna look like those supermodels who are jus' so _cuuuuuute!"_ Tasuki roars in frustration. "Did it ever occur to you shithead females that _real_ men like _real_ women with _real_ curves ta hang onto? Not _all_ of us guys are mindless dickheads who lust after a jabby bag of bones, ya know!"

Sorceress and Roku stand frozen in place with their mouths hanging open as he continues to rant.

"And don't give me none'a those stupid-ass looks, either! You oughta be down on your knees thanking God or Suzaku or whoever ya choose that they gave ya bodies that work at _all_, lettin' ya walk and talk an' do stuff that plenty of people in this world would be fuckin' grateful ta be able ta do for even a_ minute!_ But no, you gotta complain that ya don't look like the seventeen-year-old Cover Girl of the Month, instead'a bein' glad that ya rate high enough on real men's fuckability scale! But I can't waste any more time listenin' ta your shit, 'cause unlike you, I got a _job_ ta do tonight!"

Tasuki storms off to join Mitsukake onstage, leaving Sorceress and Roku blinking in confusion.

Roku finds her voice first. "Well, somewhere in there I _think_ there was a compliment for you and me, but I have to say…what the fuck was _that_ all about?"

Sorceress shakes her head. "I don't have a clue. Do you suppose that he has a hangover-type headache or something?"

"Remind me to ask Chichiri to take another look at him after the next scene. But now it's showtime, so tell Kris to standby—five, four, three, two, one—Chapter Twelve, Curtain Up!"

/-/-/-/

**Part D. Would Everybody _Please_ Stop Talking?**

Chapter Twelve is progressing nicely, the scenes between Mitsukake, Tasuki, and Chichiri in the Shrine of Suzaku going smoothly except for the strange intensity of Tasuki's acting.

Roku frowns. "I don't know why, but Tasuki's giving off funny vibes, almost as if he's running at a higher amperage than the rest of us."

She watches as Tasuki aggressively confronts Mitsukake while standing over Chichiri's huddled form.

Meanwhile, Kaze-chan walks up, luckily none the wiser as to the earlier Tokaki hijinks in the dressing rooms, so she's currently in a friendly mood with Roku. "And that differs from Tasuki-Normal how?"

Sorceress sides with the director. "No, Roku's right. If this were film instead of stage, he'd be overacting something fierce, almost chewing the scenery. Luckily, to the theater audience, he's just coming off as passionate instead of hyper."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Nothing, I guess. I just…" Roku gives herself a shake. "Maybe I shouldn't look for trouble before it happens."

Kaze-chan grins cheekily. "What, you and Trouble are calling it off? You're my One True Pairing, don't you know?"

Roku exhibits her advanced maturity by sticking out her tongue.

Sorceress intervenes to break off the impending eyelid-tugging and ear-waggling contest. "Okay, Kaze, you wanted to stage-manage, so you're on. Convert to the Active Shrine set now."

Kaze-chan begins talking rapidly into her headset. "Okay, Kris, drop curtain—good. Now fire up the lights: numbers three, five, nine, and fourteen, and crank down the intensity on the gold spot on the Suzaku statue…softer, softer—great! Roku, tell Tasuki to ignite the cauldron, and get him, Mits, and Chichiri on their marks. I'm counting down ten seconds now!"

Roku and Sorceress run onstage as ordered, Tasuki does a quiet Rekka Shin'en, and the oiled wood goes up in a burst of flame as the actors get into position. Roku and Sorceress run back offstage, and the curtain goes up on Kaze's command. The audience oohs at the the newly dramatic Shrine of Suzaku set, with the cauldron on the center dais roaring with fire and sending dancing light across the actors and the statue of Suzaku.

Kaze-chan continues to direct. "Kris, bring down the spot on Chichiri. I like the play of light and shadow on his face from the fire; makes him look more mysterious. We're on!"

"Damn, girl, that was great!" Roku slaps her on the back. "You've got this stage manager thing down cold!"

Kaze shrugs. "I do this kind of thing often enough in college productions; I figured it couldn't be that much different in the real world arena." She suddenly frowns at the stage. "Just _what_ does he think he's doing?"

"He? Who? Who he?"

Kaze-chan points soundlessly at the stage, where Tasuki appears to be enacting some violence on Chichiri's person. Mitsukake has retreated to one side and watches prudently from stage left.

"Isn't Chichiri supposed to be removing his clothes for the purification?" Sorceress pages through the script.

Roku looks over her shoulder. "Guess he wasn't moving fast enough for our Mad Boy...Shit!"

Tasuki and Chichiri are now involved in a tug-of-war over the monk's last remaining garment, the kesa which he has desperately wrapped around himself as Tasuki has stolen the rest of his clothes. The Tas/Chi slash fangirls swoon in ecstasy as Tasuki gives a final fierce yank, pulling the kesa away and spinning Chichiri around.

Roku throws her hands over her face as the theater explodes with delighted fangirl shrieks.

"Damn it, that wasn't supposed to happen that way! Now we've got Full Frontal Chichiri! Wait—why am I covering my eyes?" She peeks through her fingers. "Yeah!"

Suddenly a cry of anger erupts from the front row. Roku's Mom stands up, pointing the Finger of Doom. "SHAAAAAAAME!"

"Oh shit, I forgot about Mom! Kris, lower the curtain, _lower the curtain!"_

But Kris is lost in dreamy-eyed lust and fails her director for the first time. Four slippers come flying at the monk, who has fallen to his hands and knees. Without even looking up, he raises one hand, lightning crackles from his palm, and the four slippers fall charred to the stage.

Sorceress and Kaze are impressed. "Whoa!"

Pissed off, Tasuki breaks character. "Hey, how come she throws five slippers at me, but only _four_ at Chichiri?"

As an answer, the fifth slipper comes winging across the stage and smacks him upside his head.

"Shit! Fuck! Why didn't you fry that one, 'Chiri?"

The monk is grimly satisfied. "You had it coming."

Roku leans in from the wings. "Psssst! Actors! I think you've forgotten something! See the lights? Audience? Stage? Oh, yeah, I think a _play_ is supposed to be going on… GET _TO IT!_"

Ever the professional, Mitsukake resumes chanting the purification sutras, and Tasuki and Chichiri return to their assigned positions, with Chichiri kneeling near the dais and Tasuki tossing his clothes into the cauldron.

Roku is talking into her headset. "Okay, Kris, I need you to bring down the spot on Chichiri's form, blur it a little so that we get a soft focus effect. Kris? _Kris?"_

From the tech booth, she hears, "Mmmmmm…"

"Kris, is that a yes or an orgasm? _KRIS!"_

"Hmmmmm?"

"Wake UP, _damn it!_"

Kryssa finally jolts out of her trance. "Oh! Okay, the lights! Brighten the one on Chichiri, right?"

Roku replies with snarly patience. "No, I said to _dim it!_ But thanks for listening."

"Awww, Roku, he looks so fine like that…naked…I _mean,_ well lit!"

"And you want to share that with all of the girls in the audience, right?"

Kryssa gets the message, and the spotlight dims instantly. The purification ritual continues with the burning and retrieval of Chichiri's kesa, hat, and prayer necklace, and ends with the pouring of sacred water over Chichiri's head. Tasuki wraps Chichiri in a white silk robe, and Mitsukake lifts him in his arms and exits to stage left, as the scenery rotates to Chichiri's room. Roku grabs hold of Tasuki's tunic just before he re-enters the stage.

Her voice is low and intense. "Listen, I don't know _what_ you thought you were doing in the last scene or why! Are you still feeling the effects of the alcohol?"

Tasuki pulls his tunic out of her grip. "No, I'm fine! Not drunk at all!"

"Are you telling me the truth?"

Just for a moment, Tasuki's amber eyes appear to flash with a blue, angry light, but it quickly disappears.

"Of course, I'm tellin' the truth! I don't lie!"

Roku holds up her hands placatingly. "Okay, untwist your knickers; I was just making sure. Listen, I really want to see this scene played right. It's all about you and Chichiri getting down to the truth between you, understand? Now get out there and nail it!"

To Roku's great relief, the opening of the scene goes smoothly, with Mitsukake scolding Chichiri and warning Tasuki to look after him as he leaves to make a warming infusion. He exits at stage left and joins Roku, Sorceress, and Kaze-chan in the wings. Roku keeps a nervous eye on the scene unfolding between Chichiri and Tasuki.

Kaze-chan tugs on Mitsukake's sleeve. "Onii-sama, what was going on with Tasuki earlier?"

"I don't know, but I definitely felt a strange energy coming off him then…and now too, for that matter."

Roku makes a shushing gesture. "Guys, keep it down. I want to hear this scene, okay?"

The set is small, just three walls and a simple cot against the stage right wall with a lamp burning warmly on a lacquered bed table upstage. Kris has lit the set with only two soft, golden spotlights, leaving the ceiling and most of downstage in shadow. The effect is of a small, cozy space glowing within a vast darkness.

Chichiri is seated on the cot, facing Tasuki, who is kneeling before him. Both men are in profile to the audience as Chichiri explains about his mysterious friend from the past who warned him about the dangers of the abyss.

His voice is softly hypnotic. "But my friend taught me something about seeking out evil just for the pleasure of destroying it, and feeling justified in using any means available to achieve that end. How did he put it again?" He pauses as if searching out a memory. "Ah, yes... 'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster'."

Tasuki frowns. "That's a strange way of talking - _gaikoku no kotoba, ne_?"

The Japanese phrase is soft and musical, creating the feeling of an intimate language between the two.

Chichiri replies in kind. "_Hai,_ he was definitely _gaikokujin._ He was a wanderer, a traveler..."

"Like you?"

Chichiri turns his face and gazes out into the darkness that masks the audience, looking as if he is gazing into the past.

His voice is soft and deliberate, tinged with yearning. "I believe that he wandered much farther and far longer than I ever will."

The entire theater and tech staff are rapt and silent, caught up in Chichiri's spell as he recalls his best friend, the Doctor.

Finally Chichiri turns back to Tasuki, releasing the tension. "Anyway, as I said, he turned me from that path. But it doesn't mean that I've forgotten the ways of dark magic I had learned earlier in my life. I just choose not to use that power--at least, not often. My friend was right: there is a price to be paid in walking the paths of darkness, in grappling with the abyss."

Tasuki bows his head so that it rests on Chichiri's knees, muffling his voice. "The price is your soul, isn't it? To use that power, you pay with your soul."

Chichiri lifts Tasuki's chin and smiles into his face. "Just parts of my soul, not all of it—but it still renders me impure. That's why I needed to purify myself tonight, and why I couldn't wait. I needed to reclaim the parts of myself that I had lost."

There is almost a tangible wave of emotion from Tasuki as he grips Chichiri's robe and stares into his eyes. "You did it for me, didn't you? You risked your soul to protect me, to avenge me..."

He pauses, visibly swallowing before continuing in a husky, emotional voice.

"I remember that morning, you know. I was so terrified, so hurt and humiliated... I wanted to lose my _mind_ rather than return to that reality! But I heard your voice calling me and felt your arms holding me...and I knew that it was safe to come back. I knew that you would keep me safe. Then once you entrusted me to Miaka and Mitsukake, you went alone into the darkness and paid the price—and you did it for me!"

He catches his breath on a sob, and Roku wipes away a tear, spellbound along with the rest of the audience. She utterly fails to notice a faint blue light emanating from Tasuki's eyes, although Chichiri narrows his gaze slightly.

Tasuki's voice now rises passionately. "What have I ever done for you, that I deserve such sacrifices from you? All I've ever done is _shout_ at you and _argue_ with you—"

"Hush now, that isn't—"

Tasuki interrupts. "And make fun of you and play stupid practical jokes on you—"

Roku turns to her assistants. "What the _hell_ is he doing? That's not in the script!"

Chichiri attempts to return to his scripted lines. "You forget your own sacrifices, Tasuki; you forget—wait a minute. Play stupid practical jokes? What jokes?"

Tasuki begins an emotional confession. "There was the time I super-glued your shakujou to the wall, so that you thought it was stuck there by an evil spell."

"Well, I guess it _was_ pretty funny, although it didn't seem that way at the time…"

"And the time I filled your bamboo hat with flour, so that it spilled all over your face and made you look like a ghost. Although I didn't know about the flour being infested with beetles, but that made it even funnier—no, I mean _worse._ It made it worse!"

Chichiri is now gritting his teeth. "As long as you're sorry, I suppose I should forgive—"

Roku makes frantic slashing gestures to both actors, but neither one is paying any attention to her.

Tasuki is now sniffling. "And the time I cut holes in the toes of every single one of your stockings—"

"Every single one," Chichiri repeats grimly.

Tasuki's voice rises. "And the time I taped a note to the back of your kesa that said, 'KICK ME, NO DA!'"

"DAAAAAAAAA!"

Chichiri leaps up from the bed and grabs his shakujou, taking a swing at Tasuki. Tasuki ducks with his celestial speed, then takes off running across the set. Chichiri is close on his heels, casting blasts at him with the shakujou that Tasuki is just barely able to dodge.

Roku is shouting into her headset. "Kris, lower the curtain! Goddamnit, there goes my brotherly bonding scene!"

Kaze-chan grins. "Well, they do look kind of like brothers right now—brothers who want to beat the crap out of each other."

Roku is not amused. "Come on, Mits, help me break this up."

She runs out onto the curtained stage, while Mitsukake follows her, grumbling. "As usual, my few lines have now been deleted. No brotherly bonding for me, either. Here!"

He makes a grab and catches Chichiri as the magician runs past. Roku is equally successful in tackling Tasuki.

"Okay, break it up, boys." She gets in Tasuki's face. "What the hell were you saying out there? Why did you deviate from the script?"

Tasuki is wild-eyed and panting. "I don't know. But once I got started, I couldn't shut myself up! It was like I'd been drugged with truth serum or somethin'!"

Roku freezes, struck with the memory of what she had been saying to Sorceress. "Oh, damn it. Damn it all to hell! Fucking Shin again!"

Mitsukake is confused. "How can it be Shin? I didn't hear you hiccupping."

"I did a couple of times earlier, before the chapter started, but thought it was nothing. Wrong again." Roku grimaces in frustration. "Seems that Shin is increasing in strength or something."

"I believe that I've had just about enough of Shin's antics for one night." Chichiri disengages himself from Mitsukake's grip and straightens his robe. "Tasuki!"

Tasuki tries not to cringe. "Uh, yeah, 'Chiri?"

"It's time that we eliminated Shin once and for all."

"Do you mean…?"

Chichiri is staring at Roku intently. "Yes."

"Now look, guys," Roku backs away nervously, "there's no need for violence between friends. Why don't we sit down and have a nice cuppa tea and talk this over?"

Chichiri is terse. "No time."

Tomo suddenly appears from where he had been skulking around the wings. "Kekekekekekeke! Er, I mean, most regrettable but necessary. Getting Shin out of her, I mean. That's what you intend to do, right? Not planning to blow it up inside her or anything—that would be too messy, wouldn't you say, kekekeke?"

Chichiri doesn't take his eyes off Roku, who is still backing away from him. "Shut up, Tomo. Tasuki—the Boushin tactic, if you please."

In a flash, Tasuki appears behind Roku and grabs her, flipping her upside down.

Roku starts wailing. "Hey, no fair! Just remember—if you kill me, no more chocolate whipped cream for either of you!"

"Hold her still, Tasuki. NOW!"

Chanting a spell, Chichiri whacks Roku between the shoulder blades with the flat side of the shakujou. Roku retches and gags, and then a small pearl-like object erupts from her mouth into Tomo's waiting hand.

The painted magician is ecstatic. "Shin! My beloved Shin! Oh, how I have missed you, my precious widdle Shin-ee Ween-ee!"

Roku gags again. "Put me down; I think I'm going to be sick."

"Not feeling too good myself at the moment." Tasuki sets Roku on her feet while grimacing at the sight of Tomo babytalking to Shin.

Chichiri advances on Tomo menacingly. "Listen carefully, Tomo. If I catch you lurking anywhere around Roku or any other member of the cast or crew, I'll see to it that Shin disappears so far up one of your orifices that you'll never walk straight again. Do you understand?"

Tomo is only half-listening. "Fine, fine. The important thing is that Shin and I are back together again! Oh, my precious Shin!"

He holds up the pearl and kisses it…before his freaky eyes widen. "Wait. It's wet." He suddenly remembers where Shin has just been. "Aacckk! Gyaacck! Aaaauuugh! Shin has Girl-Spit on it! I've got _Girl-Spit_ in my MOUTH!"

He runs out of the wings, wailing. "Where's my betadine? Where are my antibiotics? Somebody call a doctor!"

Roku smooths down her hair and readjusts her headset. "Not to sound too cliched, but riddance, rubbish, and all that jazz. Hey, thanks, guys; I shoulda known I could trust you two."

Chichiri bows politely. "It was my pleasure. You can count on me to whack you with my stick anytime."

Roku leers at him. "I'd love to follow up on that, but unfortunately, I have to set up for the next scene. Sorceress, make sure that Nuriko and Hotohori are ready and dressed—or in Nuriko's case, undressed. Kaze-chan, find Aikido-chan and set up the bathing area set. Recheck the lighting with Kris so that it looks different from Tasuki's bathing room from Chapter Four."

The cast and crew disperse to their tasks.

Tasuki lingers a moment. "Uh, hey, Roku. Is Tama still grounded in his room?"

"Yeah. Plus as soon as she's back, I'm sending Sorceress there to get him made up for his opening scene in Chapter Fourteen—and you have to be ready for that as well."

"No problem. But first, I wanna check and see how Miaka is doing, okay?"

"All right, but make it quick. We need the entire cast together in the next chapter."

Tasuki grins. "Fine, quickie it is, by the director's orders."

He dodges Roku's slap, laughing as he strides off.

Roku stretches a moment, then sighs, smiling. "Damn, it feels good to be rid of that accursed Shin. From here on out, it oughta be fair weather and smooth sailing. Nothing to worry about except the technicalities."

A shadow of a tall figure falls across her.

Roku absently notes the slim, graceful form in the silky dress and smiles in a friendly manner. "Oh, hey, I haven't seen you in about ten chapters, Chao-chan. How are you enjoying the play?"

Chaotic Serenity moves farther into the light. "I need to have a word with you, Roku-san."

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**Glossary and references:**

gaikoku no kotoba, ne? - Those are foreign words, right?

Hai, he was definitely gaikokujin – Yes, he was definitely a foreigner.

Oshou – Master (A/N I had expected Tamahome to call Tokaki "sifu"—Chinese for martial arts master, or "sensei"—Japanese for teacher—but I listened several times to the Japanese subs of FY and was surprised to heat Tamahome address Tokaki as "Oshou"—a Japanese term for Master that is usually used for monks.

Chichiri's quote about "He who fights with monsters" is by Friedrich Nietzsche, from _Jenseits von Gut und Bose._

**/-/-/-/ **

**Author's Note: (1-7-06)** Hang on; this is gonna be a long one, folks.

First of all—Casting Stones is back! Or maybe the right way to say it is that _I'm_ back with Casting Stones. Whatever. The important thing is that we are reunited!

However…for those of you who aren't familiar with CS, or who once were but now have forgotten it: this can be damned confusing. Because the simple fact is that on this site, CS has only Chapters 1-3 and this new Chapter 14 up. Why? Well, to put it simply: the site rules that have been enacted over the past eighteen months have put a definitive end to CS being onsite in its entirety.

The banning of script-fics was of course a blow; however, I could have (with much effort) converted all thirteen pre-existing chapters to third-person present tense and eliminated the script format. In fact, I _had_ started work on this last year (i.e. Chapter 1-3) when the final blow came in the form of banning the use of song lyrics, even if credited as carefully as I had credited them (artist, album, production company, year).

Let me make this clear. I feel that CS without script format weakened the wonderful expression of the "play-within-a-play" philosophy, but the important elements could still be preserved using present tense. However, taking away the musical numbers in the play would have stripped so many key scenes that Casting Stones would no longer be Casting Stones. I mean, how would the Tasuki purification scene work without Tasuki and Miaka's emotional interpretation of Secret Garden's "Prayer"? And what about the impromptu swing dance scene with Chichiri (My Baby Must Be a Magician) that triggered the running Kryssa (and other Chichiri fangirls)-Torture gag? How could my cast effectively rip off Purple Mouse's Another Story without using the Gorillaz "19-2000"? Or the infamous Taiitsukun-Roku/Tokaki love duet "Some Enchanted Evening" that drove Kaze-chan around the bend?

There was one saving grace in all of these bans: the fact that I had been too busy writing "Bridge Over the Abyss" and "Hidden Paths" to go back and rewrite all of CS out of script format. Had I gone to that considerable effort, and then had to remove the offending chapters anyway because of the song lyrics ban—I would be one Very Unhappy Roku. Foaming at the mouth Tasmanian-Devil style, to tell the truth.

Instead, Casting Stones Chapter 1-13 (and soon 14 as well) are all safely ensconced on the Fanfic Refugees site listed in my author profile. Also, I'm posting the script-format version of Chapters 13 and 14 on my LiveJournal, which is the link called "homepage" on my author profile. Yes, it's true—I write CS in script format because that's how it feels most natural, before converting it to present tense for posting on this site. So for those of you who, like me, prefer the original script format to this watered-down present tense, go ahead and take a look at the Fanfic Refugees site or my LJ.

There's another piece of positive news. Due to the change in the fiction ratings guidelines, Casting Stones has been able to return to its original PG-13 (aka "T") rating. I had defensively changed it to R ("M") in the past, because the Motion Pictures Rating System specified that more than one use of the F-word classified it as an R-rated fic. Ahem. Tasuki language kind of blew that out of the water. However, the new guidelines do not have that restriction, so CS is now back where it belongs rating-wise.

Gah! Enough boring chatter about site rules! Back to the Good Stuff!

First of all, from last time's (last year's!) Chapter 13: Thank you to all of you who replied to my quiz about the "Wilson" reference in the akugi. You ALL got it right, and I have to admit to being surprised, since I thought I was one of the few people who saw "Castaway." Hmph. Learn something new, I do, every time I interact with you lot.

I also wish to thank Ryuen for her helpful, quick beta-read of this chapter. Quick FYI note, Ryu-chan: No, Chichiri's lines referring to the Doctor are not a new insert. They are canonical to White Stones in the Moonlight, and had been in that story since the Ritual chapter was first posted almost three and a half years ago. Only one or two WS readers caught onto the fact that it was the Doctor whom Chichiri was referring to (the lines about the double pulse in his wrist)—and they had been huge Doctor Who fans before they ever knew about Fushigi Yuugi.

Onward: warm thanks to It's the Dee (Dee-chan) for offering her head to the chopping block as "Stage Intern of the Week." :P And another repeat thank you to Chaotic Serenity for agreeing (four years ago already!) to be the _deus ex machina_ for this play. What does that mean? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out.

And no, you won't have to wait another eighteen months for a CS update, because…I already have the next chapter written; well, 95 percent of it, anyway. In fact, as the emotional climax of the play, it's been written for over 3 years now. Yeah, it's my usual "writing backwards" habit, starting with the first chapter, then the climactic chapter, and then writing everything in between. I only have to go over it and re-edit some parts to correct any egregious errors that were typical of my writing three years ago. Well, heck, I was just starting out back then—because you know, today IS my Four Year Anniversary as a fiction writer!

It's true. I had never written fiction before I started in the world of Fushigi Yuugi fanfic, so this has been a learning and growing experience in every way. Of course, as I said at the end of Bridge, you, my friends, have been my greatest teachers and have taught me many of the tenets of Creative Writing, even though I have no time in my life to take a formal course. Eternal gratitude, from me to you. :P

But Don't Panic. The next chapter will _not_ be the last chapter of CS—just the emotional climax. You know me; I need to wrap things up neat and tidy, so there will be at least 2 chapters after that. It's my fond hope to be able to stamp "Complete" on CS in the near future…but you know, "Hidden Paths" always sings its seductive song to me, and oh yeah, I have that Inuyasha fic that I have failed to update for a _year _now!

One last word: although Casting Stones has long been regarded as my outright comedy piece, I personally have seen it as a mixture of drama and comedy. The last few chapters have leaned heavily towards the comedic side…but the scales are about to balance. Looking forward to seeing you there. Soon. Very soon.

Wait a minute—I had promised Ryuen that the Doctor would appear in this chapter, but then decided that the scene was a bit cheesy even for Casting Stones. NOT, however, for a Casting Stones Akugi! So here we go!

**Akugi**

**Disclaimer: **The character of Doctor Who is the property of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

/-/-/

"I gazed too long into the abyss..." Chichiri's voice is hushed, tinged with fear.

"I don't understand," replies Tasuki, looking intently at Chichiri. "Please explain it to me."

"_'Take care, for if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you._' That was a valuable warning given to me some years ago by a close friend; no, he was more than that. He was my best friend, although I never knew his real name. He turned me from the path I had embarked upon. You see, I was training to become a powerful mage, learning to wield soul-destroying magic for the greater good—or so I thought at the time. As I said before, this was some years ago when I was young and foolish and eager to take on all the evil in the universe to expiate my own sins."

"Why was that such a bad thing? It sounds kinda...heroic."

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? Heroic and romantic...just the thing to appeal to a young man's wounded heart. But my friend taught me something about seeking out evil just for the pleasure of destroying it, and feeling justified in using any means available to achieve that end. How did he put it again?" Chichiri pauses, lost in thought. "Ah, yes: 'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.'"

Tasuki frowns. "That's a strange way of talking - _gaikoku no kotoba, ne_?"

Chichiri smiles. "_Hai,_ he was definitely _gaikokujin._ He was a wanderer, a traveler...a foreigner with pale skin and blue-green eyes, and a double pulse in his wrist…"

At that moment, a strange wheezing, groaning noise fills the theater, and the audience gapes as a tall blue British police box materializes on stage with a resounding, clanking boom.

Roku is stunned. "What the…"

The door to the police box opens, and a manically energetic and stunningly handsome man bounces out. He is clad in a velvet frock coat with silk cravat, and has neck-length chestnut hair curling in wild waves.

He spots Chichiri sitting on the cot and runs up to tug at his arm. "Come, Houjun, no time to waste! The Swarm will be here any second! Must enact Plan B!"

Chichiri's expression is caught between shock and delight, and his mouth works without any sound coming out.

Roku comes striding out on stage. "Hold a minute, Doctor! You're in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

The Doctor waves a hand dismissively. "Nonsense! I am never wrong! At least, not often. Well, no more often than once a month…oh very well, once a week, perhaps."

"Well, you're wrong right now. You belong in 'Bridge' or 'Hidden Paths', not 'Casting Stones'!"

"Don't be silly. I distinctly heard Houjun calling for me. Didn't he mention his best friend?"

Mitsukake joins them onstage. "You're not him. _I'm_ Chichiri's best friend!"

"Ridiculous! I'm the Doctor, and _I'm_ his best friend!" He shakes Chichiri's arm for emphasis.

Mitsukake catches hold of Chichiri's other arm and tries to tug him away from the Doctor. "_I'm_ the doctor in this story, and for the last time, _I'm_ his best friend!"

"No, I am!"

"No, me!"

"No, me!"

"No, me!"

Chichiri is getting pulled back and forth between the two doctors, and his eyes begin to glaze over.

"Cut it out, both of you!" Roku roars, pulling Chichiri away from both doctors. "Mits, get back in the wings! Doctor, get back in the TARDIS and get outta here before the BBC finds out about this! They'll sue my ass so fast that even the TARDIS will get caught in the backdraft!"

Mits stalks off while the Doctor readjusts his cravat with wounded dignity. "How can they? Didn't you list a disclaimer above?"

"Yeah, and that's about as much protection as a tissue in a monsoon. So you'd better skedaddle, Doctor."

"So there's no Swarm?"

"Not in this story."

"And this story would be…?"

"Casting Stones. It's a play that takes place in the years after you left Chichiri at the monastery."

His blue-green gaze turns out to the rapt audience. "So that would explain the hundreds of people watching us at this moment."

Roku's mouth quirks up. "Could be."

"Ah." The Doctor blushes. "Errr…I'll take my leave then. You're _certain_ the Swarm isn't here?"

"Positive."

"Very well, I'll be going then." He waves at Chichiri. "I'll see you a bit later, Houjun."

Chichiri waves back, bemused, as the TARDIS disappears with another shrieking, groaning wail.

Roku dusts her hands. "Well, that takes care of that. Let's start the scene again, people, from—"

At that moment, a black winged nightmare beast drops out of nowhere and sweeps up Roku in its pointed teeth, carrying her screaming off into another dimension.

Chichiri stares up at the spot where Roku disappeared. "I guess the Doctor was right, as usual."

Tasuki joins him. "But what are we gonna do, 'Chiri?"

Chichiri shrugs. "Get Sorceress to direct the rest of the play. All right, people, on your marks!"

/-/-/

Rats! Abducted by the Swarm into another dimension! How much rougher can this holiday get? At any rate, I hope that all of you had a very blessed holiday season, and are enjoying the beginning of a wonderful New Year!

Ja ne!

Roku


	5. At the end of everything

Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

On the other hand, the original characters Mom and Dad are my original creations and they belong to me, as do other assorted family members. So do the original plotline and plot devices _AND_ the text, goshdangit! As for the reviewers and fanfic authors in this fic—they belong to themselves! But I get to "borrow" them for the duration of this fic…with their misguided permission, of course.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:** To any newcomers to Casting Stones: This is Chapter Fifteen, not Chapter Five, of this story. For reasons explained in the author's notes in the previous chapter, I'm not permitted to post the intervening chapters 4 through 13 on this site. For those who wish to read those chapters, they are posted on the Fanfic Refugees site listed on my author profile page. Thank you for your patience.

Musical selection: "The Promise" by Secret Garden from their CD "Once In a Red Moon."

**Warning:** The "fourth wall" will be kicked out as the central plotline of White Stones is called into question—so be prepared for fantasy and reality to collide violently, with attendant fireworks, of course.

Finally, a dedication: This chapter is for all of my friends who have suffered personal sadness in the past year. To paraphrase Dylan Thomas, "Though loved ones be lost, love shall not."

**/-/-/-/-/-/**

**Chapter 15. At the End of Everything**

**Part A. To hold a dream…**

Roku raises her eyebrows at Chaotic Serenity's grim tone. "You want a word with me? Can't it wait until the play's over?"

"No, I'm sorry, but I have to talk to you, Roku-san. It concerns the play—and it's important."

"Fine," Roku sighs, then waves Sorceress over. "Listen, girlfriend, I'm going to take five to talk with Chao-chan. Everything on track for Consolation?"

Sorceress glances at the tall, well-dressed fifteen-year-old girl. "Yeah, the bathing chamber plumbing is all hooked up, Nuriko's ready in the wings, and Hotohori's on his way…Er, is there a problem here?"

Roku gives a quick shake of her head. "Nah, we're just gonna have a little girl-chat, and then I'll be back in the wings. I'll be in the greenroom if you need me. Oh, and don't forget that Tasuki has a shadow appearance midway through the chapter, so call him to the stage, all right?"

She takes Chaotic Serenity's arm, steering her to the greenroom while noting that the girl's muscles are taut with tension. Repressing a sigh, she flings herself down on the couch as Chao-chan takes a seat in her considerably more graceful fashion.

"Okay, Chao-chan, you have my full attention. What's this about?"

"It's about the play." The girl's voice is tight. "It's going all wrong."

"Yeah, I know, and there's a reason for that," Roku reflects guiltily on the problems caused by Shin, "but we've taken care of the situation now, and I promise that there won't be any more unplanned intermissions—"

"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the way you've warped and manipulated the plot of Fushigi Yuugi just to create a completely unrealistic romance between Tasuki and Miaka!"

Roku is surprised to realize that it's anger, not nervousness, that's making Chaotic Serenity so tense…and in her typical fashion, she can't help bristling in return. "Look, we've been through this already. You're gonna have to accept that we're not seeing eye-to-eye on this issue—"

"Yes, but _I'm_ not the one making the public buy into something that's patently untrue! I thought things might get better as the play went on, but it's only getting worse. You're making a complete travesty of Yuu Watase's work!"

At this moment, Tasuki and Miaka enter the greenroom on their way to the stage, Tasuki's arm draped casually across Miaka's shoulder. Both are dressed in their WS costumes: he in his green tunic, breeches, and fawn boots, and she in her brown schoolgirl outfit. They're oblivious to the hostility in the room as they laugh quietly at some private joke. Chaotic Serenity stiffens at the sight of them and turns back to Roku.

"Do you see? This is completely wrong! This romance is completely unfounded. Tasuki never showed the slightest interest in Miaka before, and she never had the slightest romantic attraction to him, but all of a sudden, bam! Hardly any time together, and they suddenly decide to have sex!"

Now she has their full attention. Both actors stop in their tracks and flush red: Tasuki in anger, Miaka in embarrassment.

Roku frowns. "Look, Chao-chan—"

"No, _you_ look! I am so sick of writers like you having people fall into bed together for no justifiable reason. Am I supposed to believe that Tasuki falls truly, deeply, madly in love with Miaka just because he was _raped_? It doesn't work that way! Tasuki falling for Miaka sounds to me more like the desire to discover that sex isn't all pain and hate; that it's his need for comfort rather than love."

Tasuki drops his arm from Miaka's shoulders and curls his fists while Miaka grows pale at the implications.

Roku tries to keep her temper—and her tone—even. "I understand that you disagree with this romance, but you're starting to get a little personal here…"

But the impassioned young woman continues to vent. "And what about Miaka? Is she supposed to suddenly love Tasuki just because he suffered for her? How many times has _Tamahome_ suffered for her? Fighting those guys, getting captured by the emperor, getting butt-kicked by Kutou assassins, being held prisoner, beaten and drugged by Nakago, fighting and almost getting killed by Hotohori, and so on. But all of these events don't seem to matter. Tasuki's suffering _far_ exceeds any act of suffering Tamahome went through, so of course Miaka has to have wild sexual encounters with him!"

Miaka holds her hands up to her face, tears running from her eyes as her betrayal of Tamahome is brutally laid out before her. Tasuki has gone from red-hot anger to white-hot rage, almost snarling at Chaotic Serenity's accusations.

Roku makes a slashing gesture at him, trying to keep him under control and prevent the situation from escalating. Gritting her teeth, she turns back to Chaotic Serenity and assumes a strained but patient tone.

"Look, girl, you don't understand everything that's going on here. Love is not a numbers game; we don't keep score and figure that the winner is the one with the most points at the end. You know, like Tamahome got his ass kicked fifteen times for Miaka, but Tasuki only got his ass kicked eleven times, therefore Tama wins. It doesn't work that way. There is no logic to love and passion—the essence of passion is that it's uncontrollable!"

Chaotic Serenity is unappeased. "Uncontrollable, huh. Well, that's probably the most unbelievable part of this whole thing. I can't just sit here and believe that Miaka would cast aside everything Tamahome has done for her for the sake of a nice _oral screw!_ Yeah, right, like she's going to have sex with Tasuki and make _how many other _people suffer? Miaka can be selfish, but she's not that bad."

Miaka sobs softly. Tasuki's eyes narrow at the sound of her weeping--the eternal trigger point for his temper--and he starts forward. Only Roku's intense, pleading stare at him makes him pause. He steps back and places his hands on Miaka's shoulders while glaring angrily at the arguing women.

Roku stands up and pulls Chaotic Serenity to her feet as well. She moves them a few paces away from the enraged couple. "Chao-chan, I think maybe you'd better stop while things are still relatively non-violent. I can't promise that--"

The girl ignores her warning, being completely wrapped up in her impassioned argument. "And all this _sex_ bothers me too! Look, I understand that sex is a very important part of a relationship. The problem I'm having with Tasuki and Miaka is that they seem to have more sexuality than tender moments, such as the ones Miaka shares with Tamahome. I don't know; to me, a relationship that starts out tender and non-sexual is far better than one that starts off with a near sexual encounter. In this case, it seems as though the two are in it just for the… for the physical pleasures, and nothing else!"

This is the last straw for Miaka, who wrenches out of Tasuki's grasp, and runs towards her dressing room. Tasuki leaps after her, almost catching her, but she reaches her room just ahead of him and slams the door in his face.

Tasuki stands in shock as she clicks the lock in place. Suddenly, he whirls around and reaches the greenroom in a few swift strides, where the two women are still facing off. The bandit has been pushed well past his breaking point, and he surges forward, catching Chao-chan's shoulder and turning her around to face him.

Roku jumps between them and places her hands on his chest. "Please, Tasuki, you have to understand! She's just a kid—she doesn't know about the reality of adult love, just the theory!"

Tasuki grips Roku's shoulders and moves her gently out of the way. "Don't worry, Roku, I ain't gonna hurt her—I'm only gonna talk to her."

"But Tasuki, her feelings get hurt so easily."

"Well, if she can dish it out, she better learn how to take it."

He scowls at Chao-chan. "You keep bringing up this shit and harpin' on it till I'm ready to scream…so now it's m_y_ turn to let you know _my_ point-of-view." He takes a deep breath. "Here's what your problem is: you don't like me."

Chaotic Serenity flushes. "That's not true! This isn't about that!"

"Yes, it is! You like Tamahome, and that's fine. You think that he's better-looking, more heroic, and an all-around better _human being_ than I am. Fine, that's all true! But you can't leave it at that. It pisses you off somethin' royal that Miaka might actually feel something for me—or at least she did, before you made her believe that I was in it only for the sex!"

He catches his breath and tries to bring his temper back under control. "Okay, maybe that ain't what you set out to do. But it's still the end result, so I got a right to be angry, just like you got a right to your opinions!"

Chaotic Serenity bristles defensively. "I do have the right to my opinions! Just because I'm young doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm talking about. How can you stand there and try to make me believe that you're truly in love with Miaka, when you never _once_ showed any sign of it before OVA 2?"

"Don't you tell me what I _do_ and _don't_ feel! YOU DON'T FUCKING_ KNOW _ME!"

Chaotic Serenity flinches back before the force of his rage.

Roku jumps between them, shoving Tasuki back. "You'd better settle your ass down, Tasuki, before I kick it all the way back to your dressing room!" She turns and glares at Chao-chan. "And_ you'd_ better become aware of the provocative tone you use when you criticize this relationship. Oral screw, indeed! That one _stung!"_

She grabs the two by their wrists, clamping down hard to get their attention. "All right, you want to have this out, then go right ahead. But here's the thing: you can have a discussion on your philosophical differences only so long as you keep it civil. Otherwise, I'm ending everything right here and now!"

The two combatants separate, grumbling. Sorceress and Chichiri poke their heads in the greenroom, alarmed by the shouting.

Chichiri looks from Tasuki to Chaotic Serenity to Roku. "Is everything all right in here?"

"Yeah; we were just setting the ground rules for a civil discussion. Listen, Sorceress, would you mind—"

"I'm already on it." The assistant director sends a pointed look at Roku. "In fact, I was just about to raise the curtain on Nuriko's bathing scene when all the yelling began. It's going to be a little difficult to achieve the right atmosphere for this scene if you guys continue to shout over the background music."

"Don't worry, it won't happen again. We're done venting for now. Chichiri, in case this discussion goes longer than I'd like, could you cover for Tasuki in the 'shadow listener' scene?"

"Ochanoko sai-sai…" Seeing that his quip has failed to make Roku smile, Chichiri finishes by merely nodding in agreement, then escorting Sorceress back to the stage wings.

Roku pulls up two folding chairs from against the wall and motions for Tasuki and Chaotic Serenity to take a seat. Chaotic Serenity seats herself elegantly, sweeping her dress gracefully over her knees, while Tasuki flings himself into his chair in an angry sprawl.

Roku folds her arms. "Okay, here are the rules of combat. Each combatant may state his or her opinion without interruption. Points of fact may be argued, but no personal insults are allowed. And in that line, no cursing is allowed, either."

Tasuki starts up from his chair, angry. "Then how the fuck am I supposed to talk?"

"You're just going to have to figure out a way, Tasuki. I won't permit you to win by intimidation, and your cursing can be intimidating to some people."

Chaotic Serenity mutters grumpily. "He doesn't scare me."

Roku frowns at her. "That reminds me: no provocative _implied_ insults either. Okay, let's go! Chao-chan, since Tasuki had the last word, you get to start now."

Chaotic Serenity sits up straighter in her chair and meets Tasuki's glare. She turns her gaze back to Roku.

"I don't know why I'm doing this anyway. I was having a discussion with you, Roku-san, not him. And I'm not sure if it's fair that you're the referee, since you're obviously on _his_ side!"

Tasuki flushes angrily but keeps silent at a look from Roku.

The Director assumes a pleasant expression. "Yes, well, on the other hand, we didn't pick this fight—you did. And as Tasuki pointed out earlier, you've picked this fight over and over again, and we've tried to steer clear of conflict as best we can, but now it's finally time to clear the air. So if you want to stop here, that's fine…but we _are_ giving you the chance to air your opinions. So take it or leave it, as you wish; no hard feelings either way."

There's a determined light in Chaotic Serenity's eyes. "I'll take it." She pauses to gather her thoughts, then looks over at Tasuki. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. But I couldn't just sit there and watch you and Roku-san warp the story of Fushigi Yuugi so badly. I think the thing that makes me angriest is that Roku-san has done such a good job on the other aspects of this story; the characterizations of the other seishi and the strong brotherly bonds between you really touched me. The plot is exciting so far and the humor, deliberate or not, is refreshing. But I cannot accept that the story I fell in love with, the love story of Tamahome and Miaka as written by Watase-san, is just pushed aside for the sake of some prurient sexual thrills."

Tasuki's knuckles whiten as he grips his arms tightly, but he remains silent as agreed.

Chaotic Serenity begins addressing Roku again. "As I said before, this love story is just completely unbelievable to me. I'm sorry, I just cannot see this as realistic. Not when there is the entire series, two OVAs, and several novels focusing on and around the total and complete love Tamahome and Miaka share for one another. Not when Miaka shows no sexual, physical, mental, or romantic interest in Tasuki throughout the entire series and even into the OVA series. I also cannot see Tasuki in this situation when he shows no physical or romantic interest in Miaka—other than the one time he tried to kiss her for the sake of frightening her and angering Eiken—until the OVAs where it is now two years later and he's under Hikou's spell. And even that's debatable as to whether or not it's true love. Friends, yes. Lovers? I don't think so. Look, Tamahome crossed entire dimensions to be with her, gave up every single memory of his past life in order to be with her. For the bulk of the series, Miaka's wishes after she fell for Tamahome were about staying with him somehow. Tamahome came back to life because of the strength of their love! Their rings, a physical representation of their love for one another, became the Suzaku shinzaho! How can you sit there and say that something is _missing_ from their love?"

There is a moment of silence as she pauses for breath.

Roku taps her fingers together. "Anything else, Chao-chan?"

"No, that just about covers it."

"All right then… Tasuki?"

Tasuki leans back in his chair, his eyes dark and thoughtful. He finally looks over at the two women.

"Okay, guess it's my turn. I'm not gonna argue with what you have to say about Miaka and Tamahome, 'cause it's all true. I oughta know, I was right there watchin' as it happened. I'm also not gonna tackle the bigger question of Fushigi Yuugi canon, 'cause I'm just a little too close to that situation to have a clear view of it. But the one thing I can argue about, 'cause I know it better than anyone else, is what I feel for Miaka."

He sits up straighter and uncrosses his arms, dropping his defenses. "I've been in love with her since I was seventeen, and that's been how many years now? No, I never made the fancy speeches that Tama and Hotohori and Nuriko did, but that just ain't my style. But the fact that my heart ain't on my sleeve for everyone ta see, don't mean that I don't have one. Anyway, I didn't want to admit it to _myself_. I didn't even like girls, so I sure as hell wasn't keen on making myself a slave to one! But if you're fair and you watch carefully, you can see what I feel; it ain't in my words but in my actions, which in my opinion count for more. But I don't wanna keep arguing about what is and isn't canon—like I said, that's not the point."

He leans forward and fixes Chao-chan with an intense stare. "What I _am_ gonna tell you about is how I feel right here, right now. And the simple truth is that I'm in love with her—crazy, star-crossed love. She's everything I ever wanted and more. And yeah, there's a strong sexual attraction between us…" he blushes, "…that gets outta control sometimes. And I know that all this bothers you, 'cause you don't understand it yet. Like Roku said, your knowledge about adult relationships is just theoretical. And that's the way it should be, at your age! Suzaku knows, if I had a little sister your age, that's all that I'd want her to know!

"Anyway, I know that it ain't my place to educate you, but you're so _damned_ insistent that this ain't the way things work in real life, that I'm just gonna hafta explain a couple of things to you…" Tasuki nods at Roku's warning gaze, "… and I'm gonna do it as delicately as I can.

"Look, everythin' that you said about the way people should fall in love is right. In a perfect world, people'd meet each other, decide if they were suited, and only then feel physically attracted to each other, hopefully after their union was legally or spiritually sanctioned. And a lotta the time, that's how it works. But the trouble is that we're only human, and we have human faults. Ya see, there's this type of love that can be very dangerous—the poets call it star-crossed love. It don't follow any rules, it crosses all lines: race, gender, religion, class, _anythin_g. This love has nothin' to do with intelligent, logical decisions—it just _is._ An' it can also be a hungry, destructive force that's willin' to risk everything for love: family, home, friendship…"

He trails off for a moment, his gaze darkening as he looks down the hall towards Tamahome's dressing room.

"Most people never experience this kind of love; they lead sensible lives and they fall in love with the right people…and I ain't puttin' that down, 'cause it's just as true and real a love as any other. But a few of us are lucky—and _unlucky_—enough to be burned in the fires of this kind of love. Ya gotta understand somethin'. It don't take long to fall into star-crossed love. It can happen in less than a day or an hour; hell, it can happen in an instant! Yeah, you can be goin' along, thinkin', 'Here I am havin' a nice time with a good friend,' then all of a sudden, you look at that person and it hits you—WHAM! They're suddenly _real _to you. You're suddenly aware of how they're breathin', how their heart beats—and you're lost. There's nothin' and no one else in the whole universe but you and them. And passion flares up, and you don't give a damn about morals or commitments or about the past or future; it's all just _NOW!_ Maybe they're all wrong for you or you're all wrong for them, and there's pain and heartbreak in your future…but you don't care, because you'll sell your soul for this one wonderful, unbelievable moment in time—and it'll be worth every last part of yourself that you have to give!"

Tasuki's eyes are burning now, his voice low and fierce. "And that's the truth of how I feel about her—and I _know_ that's how she felt about me!"

He stops suddenly, his lips trembling with suppressed emotion. "…_felt_ about me…"

Turning his face away, he fights for control. "Like I said, maybe it's all wrong in the real world…and you're not worthy of that person." Tasuki meets Chaotic Serenity's eyes once again. "You're right, ya know; I don't deserve her. Not as much as Tama does, anyway. And maybe she realizes that now, and she's rethinkin' everything that happened between us."

He looks down, staring at his hands as they lay palm up in his lap, slightly cupped as if he held a crystal ball…or a fragile bubble.

"But for one crazy, unbelievable evening in my life, I held the dream in my arms. For one moment outside of time…she was _mine."_

His voice changes, remaining soft but now trembling with passion.

"And no matter what it costs me in the end, I can't regret it! No matter what anybody else thinks, it was worth it to me—and it...was..._real."_

Tasuki gets up quietly and folds his chair, replacing it against the wall… then turns and walks back to his room. Roku starts after him, but hesitates, looking back at Chaotic Serenity.

"You okay, kid?"

"Yeah…." Chaotic Serenity rouses herself from her thoughts, and grins with her usual spirit. "Hey, I'm not saying that anyone's changed my mind, you know."

Roku turns back and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Like I said, you're entitled to your opinion. And considering your level of experience, you made the best judgment you could. But Chao-chan, there are some things about love that only life can teach you…although hopefully, you'll wait as long as possible before learning it for yourself." She smiles sadly. "But I can't stay and talk right now; I have to look after my boy."

She turns and hurries towards Tasuki's dressing room. Chaotic Serenity looks around the quiet, darkened greenroom for a few moments more, then returns her chair to the wall and walks out.

**/-/-/-/**

**Part B. Real**

Roku reaches Tasuki's dressing room and stands outside for a moment, undecided.

"Should I respect his privacy? But what if he needs me? Oh, hell, there's only one way to find out!"

She knocks on the door. There's no answer for a few seconds, but then a muffled voice calls out "Just a sec!" She waits a few moments more, until the door swings open. Tasuki stands in the doorway in his old outfit of white silk shirt, cream breeches, and black boots with crimson ankle bands, fastening his old necklaces around his neck. He's getting ready for Chapter Fourteen, Redemption, since he's too late for the current chapter now going on.

For some reason, the sight of his familiar clothes makes Roku choke up. Tasuki looks at her keenly, then motions her inside, closing the door behind her.

His voice is soft and wry. "Yeah, off with the dream outfit of green-and-tan and back to the real world and the same old, same old..."

He trails off, smiling a sad, crooked smile. Roku feels her heart drop down to her feet, and struggles for the right words.

"Tasuki... I, uh... I, uh..."

Her expression crumples, and tears escape her. He gathers her into his arms, letting her cry against his chest. She continues to soak his shirt, gasping broken phrases of apology.

"...so _sorry_... my fault... should _hate_ me... I set you up for this!"

"Yeah, I hate you. You're a terrible person, ya know, settin' me up for the greatest night of my life," Tasuki gently mocks her. "Never been happier than I was in the last few hours, but I still hate your guts."

He strokes her hair, but Roku pulls back.

"But it's over now... and you're hurting... and it's all my fault!"

"Listen ta that, aren't we the one with the giant ego? Hotohori's a rank amateur compared to you! Yeah, you're responsible for everything that happens in our lives, like you're the personal Director of Fate for each of us." He drops the mocking tone. "Look, Roku, all good things hafta come to an end, some sooner than later."

Roku is still upset. "But I should have known this could happen. I should have seen it coming!"

"I _did_ see it coming; I told ya so way back! I'm not stupid, ya know; I knew that there was almost no chance that she would choose me over Tama. But I was willin' ta take that risk for the little bit of heaven I ended up with." Tasuki frowns impatiently. "Listen, Roku—I choose my own risks and I can handle the hits when I'm wrong. I don't need you or anybody else shielding me!"

She flinches back at his vehemence. Tasuki gathers her back to himself, remorseful.

"Sorry; I didn't mean ta yell at ya. I just don't want ya blamin' yourself when I'm so fuckin' grateful that ya opened that door for me in the first place."

Roku narrows her eyes. "You're determined to be all macho and strong about this, aren't you? You won't accept a shoulder to cry on, no matter what, huh?"

Tasuki stands silent for a moment, then takes a deep breath.

"I can't, Roku. Not yet anyway. We're in the middle of a play here, and I hafta see it through. Ya see, I'm afraid..." his voice catches for a moment, but he forces himself to go on, "…I'm afraid that if I start, I won't be able to stop. And that's not the way I want this to end. That's another thing, ya know; if I start cryin' about it, then it really _will_ be over. I guess I want to keep foolin' myself that the dream is continuing, at least until the end of the play. I'll save my tears until the 'Nightfall' chapter, and then maybe I can let loose. It'll make the scene that much more real."

Roku is infuriated. "I don't care about that! I don't give a flying _fuck_ about the goddamn play anymore! As far as I'm concerned, it can go to hell right now! Do you think that I want to use your real-life pain for my profit?What kind of a self-centered bitch do you think I am, anyway?"

"That's not what I meant! I just thought that we hafta do the best we can with what we're dealt!" Tasuki grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her. "And how _dare_ you give up on this play? After all that you and me and everybody else have gone through for this thing, you don't have the right to give up on it! You tried to pull the plug on it at the beginning, and I hadda stop you then. Do you have any idea of how sick I am of fighting you about this? Why can't you just _believe_ in it, for fuck's sake?"

"I do believe in it." Her voice drops, subdued. "I always have, even when I thought nobody else did. I'm just afraid of the cost, Tasuki—the cost to you. I got scared at the beginning because you almost got hurt, and now I'm bitter at the end, because you _did_ get hurt. And I know that a lot of people out there will laugh to hear me say this, but…I am so goddamn sick of hurting you!" Roku catches her breath. "You know, I _didn't_ see this coming, as stupid as it sounds. I thought that this would be all light and happy, and that we would have a lot of laughs, putting on this play. I never meant things to turn so dark. It just kinda happened...and I can't explain how or why."

She looks up at him again, her eyes dark and troubled.

"Do you think that I'm a liar? Do you think that there's something in me that wants to hurt you?"

"No...but I think you're pretty stupid." Tasuki laughs at her surprised expression. "Look, no matter how you dress the part, you're not Taiitsukun, the Controller of the Universe. Hell, even Taiitsukun does a pretty piss-poor job at controlling the universe—'cause it can't be done! Nobody controls anything; shit just happens, and the story unfolds the way it has to. All you can do is roll with the motion, the highs and lows alike. Here's the thing, though: somewhere in your heart, you gotta believe there's an overall reason. And even if you never find out that reason, you gotta believe that there's meaning in one thing--and that's that what you do, you do with love. That makes the difference…_all_ the difference. I can get through any shit you throw at me, just as long as I know that you love me."

Roku reaches up to cup his face in her hands and smiles a sad, tremulous smile. "I do, Gen-chan; I really, _really_ do."

Tasuki smirks down at her. "I know that, baka girl! You say it often enough. But there's one thing _you_ hafta know..." He grins, showing his fangs. "Zee feeling is mooch-ell!"

She finally breaks and laughs, flinging her arms around him. "You know, I came here to make you feel better—and you're the one who ended up comforting me."

He turns to the mirror and preens Hotohori-style. "What can I say? I'm the best!"

Roku hugs him while peeking at their reflection from around his shoulder. "Yes, you are, my beautiful boy."

There is a soft tap at the door…and the smiles leave their faces.

"I guess that's my cue to exit." Roku squeezes Tasuki's shoulders. "You know where to find me if you need me."

He's equally subdued. "Thanks, Roku."

Roku pulls the door open. As she had expected, Miaka stands there, twisting her hands together with a miserable look on her face. She looks at Roku nervously, as if expecting the door to be slammed in her face.

Roku suddenly feels a surge of pity for the girl, and smiles at her. "I was just leaving."

She steps aside so that Miaka can enter the room but catches her arm as they pass, speaking low so that Tasuki won't hear.

"Could you… would you try not to…?" Roku stops and shakes her head. "Never mind…stupid of me…never mind."

Miaka just looks at her helplessly, her lips trembling. Roku squeezes her arm, then closes the door firmly after herself.

Miaka looks up to see Tasuki at the far end of his dressing room with his back to her, fastening his second necklace. She gathers her courage and takes a few tentative steps towards him.

"Tasuki, I just came to say that… I want to tell you that I… I don't know how to put this, but…"

Tasuki finishes with his necklace but keeps his back to her. "Yeah, I think I know what you have to tell me." He suddenly switches to a light, flippant voice. "Don't worry about it, Mi-chan; we just had some laughs, that's all. Didn't mean nothin'. No need to fuss, I'll never tell Tama."

Miaka stops in her tracks. Her eyes go dark, and she fixes his back with a hard stare.

"You really suck, you know that? You really, _really_ suck!"

Tasuki straightens and turns to face her at last, an insincere smirk on his face, his eyes a little too bright.

"Well, whaddaya expect from a guy like me? Ya know that I think girls are only good for one thing…" he grins fangily at her, "and I gotta tell ya, sweetheart—you're one of the best!"

Miaka flushes with anger. "No, you don't understand. I mean that you really suck at lying—you're pathetic. So take my advice and drop the act."

The smirk leaves Tasuki's face, and he stares at her, momentarily at a loss for words. But he manfully makes another attempt, his eyes narrowing coldly.

"Believe whatever you want, sweetheart; it makes no difference to me."

She stares at him, incredulous. "You just can't _stop_, can you? You just have to keep protecting me! You're so damn determined to spare me pain that you'll go to any lengths, including putting on this pathetic tough-guy act!"

"That's the second time in the last thirty seconds that you've called me pathetic." Tasuki's voice is tight and angry. "So, fine; message delivered! It's over—I'm pathetic—You're leaving—Good-bye. Anything else, or can I just sign on the dotted line and leave it at that?"

Miaka suddenly flies at him in a fury, striking him hard in the chest with both fists. He staggers back, shocked, as she continues to hit him, punching and slapping him, her breath coming in short, gasping sobs. He struggles to defend himself without hurting her, trying to catch her flying fists and pin them to her sides, but he overbalances. They crash to the floor, Tasuki twisting his body so that Miaka lands on top of him. She pushes off him, still hitting at him...but her fists slow, and suddenly she's grasping his shirt and crying bitterly into his chest. Tasuki wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her hair, his body shaking with his own sobs.

After a while, they begin to calm, their grief abating slightly. Miaka hears Tasuki mutter something into her hair.

"What?"

"…hurts…"

Tears trickle from her eyes. "I know. It hurts so much, I can hardly bear it."

Tasuki lifts his face from her hair. "No, I meant your elbow in my ribs—it hurts."

"Sorry, sorry!"

Miaka rolls off him, and they get to their feet awkwardly, not looking at each other. Tasuki finally breaks the silence.

"This doesn't change anything, does it."

"No. I'm sorry, but…no."

Tasuki stares at the floor. "I didn't think so." He sighs deeply. "So that's that, I guess. Well, I'd better finish getting ready—"

"Would you _just_—?"

"Would I just what? Tasuki meets her eyes, his own dark with pain. "I don't understand what you want!"

Miaka's voice is edged with desperation. "Just a little honesty! I'm just asking for—"

He interrupts with a sharp gesture towards his tear-streaked face. "What, isn't this honest enough for you? What more do you _want_ from me?" His voice rises in frustration. "No matter what I have to give, it's not enough to change anything, so why are you so hell-bent on dragging this out?"

"If you would let me finish a sentence for once, maybe you would find out what I want!"

Tasuki grows quiet. "Fine. Just say what you have to say, then let's end it."

Miaka looks at him in despair, but he is looking away from her.

"I'm trying to say that _I'm_ the one who needs to be honest with you!" Her voice drops. "You're right, you know. I know that every word I speak is just dragging out this ending…but I can't let it end like this, with you thinking that somehow you're not enough for me. That's not true! That's so far from the truth it's not even—!" She swipes impatiently at her tears. "You're _more_ than good enough for me—more than good enough for any woman!"

Tasuki smiles bitterly at the hopeless cliché.

"No, don't think that! Maybe I'm too stupid to say anything that doesn't sound mindless, but if you'll just give me your patience for just a little longer…_please!"_

Tasuki crosses his arms. "I ain't got any plans, but I can't speak for Roku. Eventually she's gonna hafta knock on this door an' haul our asses onstage, so if there's somethin' ya gotta say that ya can't send in a Hallmark card, ya better get around to it in th' next hour or so."

Miaka flinches. "I know that I deserved that. All right, I'll get straight to the point. Ten years. That's how much time I've spent believing that Tamahome was the only man I could ever love. That's a long time, Tasuki—a very long time to throw away on the basis of just one night…" she chokes up, "…no matter how wonderful or magical that night might be. Before I decide anything, I have to understand _why_ this happened between us. This is one time that I can't rush impulsively into the next part of my life…because I've finally grown up enough to understand that I have the power to destroy all three of us!"

Tasuki keeps his arms crossed but finally meets Miaka's tearful gaze without resentment, his eyes dark and reflective.

"Tamahome never failed me in any way; he never treated me badly or neglected me…so I don't understand why I betrayed him! Maybe it _is_ because you and I are meant to be together, but until I make sense of this, I can't go any further. I can't risk being wrong about us, because if this is just some terrible character flaw that I have…then some day, I may do it to you as well. And that's one thing I could never forgive myself for."

She catches her lip in her teeth and forces back a sob, closing her eyes. "So what I need to do is to go back to Tamahome and really study our relationship; I have to see if I can find the flaw that led me to this night, and if I can fix it…if I can live without you. Right now, I don't think that I _can_ face life without you, Tasuki—but I'm not sure if I can face life without him, either. Furthermore, I don't know how long it will take me to work through my confused, jumbled mess of a life. So I'm telling you not to wait for me. I'm telling you to go on with your life and find happiness wherever and with whomever you can, because I don't have the right to ask you to wait!"

"You're right about one thing—you don't have the right ta tell me ta do anything!" Tasuki's voice is harsh. "So you can stop tellin' me ta go on with my life. If I decide to wait another lifetime for ya or if I decide ta marry some fangirl next week, it's _my_ decision and _my_ life, not yours!"

Miaka flinches and closes her eyes. She hangs her head in shame…and is surprised to feel hands gently cupping her face, forcing it up again.

Tasuki's eyes have softened. "So don't worry about me; I can take care of myself. You just go on and take all the time you need to figure things out. And maybe—just maybe—at the end of everything—I'll still be here. Waitin' for ya."

This is too much for Miaka, who bursts into tears and flings her arms around Tasuki's neck. He holds her lovingly, closing his eyes to memorize the feeling of her in his arms…then gently pushes her back, wiping away her tears.

"Come on now, Miaka; it's time to go."

"Wait! There's one more thing that I have to say. When I said that this night was magical, I meant it—but I didn't mean that it wasn't real. Everything that happened between us, Tasuki…everything that I felt for you…_still_ feel for you…it's all real." Her voice drops. "I wanted you to know that."

Tasuki closes his eyes and draws in a deep, trembling breath…then opens them again and meets Miaka's tearful gaze. "Of all the things that you could have said to me, that meant the most." He smiles wryly. "Well, maybe not. Maybe if you said that you were leavin' Tama an' runnin' away with me, _that_ woulda meant the most, but…this is the next best thing."

He takes her arm and leads her gently to the door, opening it for her.

"Thank you, Miaka…and good-bye."

"Good-bye, Tas—" Miaka turns and rushes off, covering her mouth to contain her sobs.

Tasuki closes the door, then turns back to his dressing table. He bends down and looks in his mirror, taking in his reddened eyes, his mussed hair. He goes into his bathroom and splashes some water in his face, then returns to the main room while running a brush through his hair. After shrugging on his signature coat, he takes one last look in the mirror.

"It's showtime, folks…"

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

**Author's Note: **(2-22-06) Special Acknowledgment: A very warm expression of gratitude to Chaotic Serenity, wherever she may be, for giving me permission back at the beginning of this fic to utilize her author avatar in this story. Please be aware that—just the same as with all other fanfic authors who have guest-starred in this story—the actions of "Chaotic Serenity" in this chapter are the invention of myself, and not the author being depicted. Although the discussions between myself and Chao-chan actually took place, they were in the nature of a friendly debate, not the tension-filled confrontation I depicted for the sake of drama. So please do not diss Chao-chan; she would probably be surprised to find herself as the _deus ex machina_ that ends the Tasuki-Miaka romance.

Hooooooo-kay. Questions, anyone? Like…wtf just happened here? Is Roku so addicted to unhappy endings that she has to tack them onto her comedies as well as her dramas? Does this chick need therapy?

Answers: Errrrrrr…well. All I can say in defense is what Tasuki says to Roku: the story just unfolds the way it has to. Yes, as in all of my stories, this emotional climax was written right at the beginning, back in (takes on creaky voice and shakes her cane) the summer of Aught-Two, you whippersnappers! (That's nearly four years ago, for those of you who don't understand "old-timer" speak. :P )

Now, as for the explosive disintegration of the "fourth wall"—you guys did notice it, right? To be perfectly straight with you, this intermingling of realities has been Casting Stones' hallmark from the start, although this chapter is the most blatant in its line-crossing. Just as an example—who is Tasuki in this chapter?

Is he the fire-wielding bandit from canon Fushigi Yuugi?

Is he the touching rape victim from White Stones in the Moonlight?

Is he an actor who has portrayed Tasuki in Fushigi Yuugi, the way he is now portraying Tasuki in White Stones?

Is he Roku's personal friend? Muse? Best-Beloved?

The answer is: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and sometimes.

Although I need to emphasize that Tasuki only becomes Roku's Best-Beloved when they are declaring their mutual affection for one another. At all other times, he's a different version, since I do NOT allow, let alone _encourage_, my beloved to pursue romances with mikos or anyone else. :P

That's why Casting Stones has always been a joy for me to write. I can let go of my demon need for historical accuracy, and slide in and out of multiple realities, the way I do with every single character in this play, Tamahome most obviously. No one ever questioned me about why his name is Tamahome, not Taka, and why—although he is savvy enough to sign a contract to be in the play, and make microwave popcorn for that matter—_why_ does he not understand modern currency?

Same goes for Chichiri, displaying a great deal of his Bridge Over the Abyss abilities—and let's not forget Chiriko, the digital videocam and computer expert who still appears to be a child, although at least on one timeline, his age is 23.

See what I mean? Nonstop fun, this is.

I think I'll wrap things up here, since I'm suffering from a Big Damn Infectious Ailment that actually has my fingers aching, forcing me to type slowly. Well, more slowly than even my usual snail's pace, that is. I had originally finished restructuring this chapter when the bug took me down on Sunday, and it's taken me this long to re-edit and write author's notes—sad, isn't it?

/self-indulgent pity party.

Enough of my whining! World perspective: lots of people have serious, more permanent ailments than my temporary "Everythin' huuuuurts" malady, so it's time for me to stiffen that upper lip!

I hope to be back soon with a new chapter of Hidden Paths, but first I must retrieve my brain from the mush of overactive sinuses in order to write anything coherent. Related to that, I hope that this chapter came out at least half-coherent; let me know if it hasn't. Oh, and in case I was less than clear about CS—this isn't the final chapter. We have at least one or two more, plus an epilogue (yes, it's already written!) to go before I can stamp Complete on this fic.

Thanks, and wishes to you for continued good health!

Ja ne!

Roku


End file.
